Emergency Health Fund for the Shipibo people

As part of our actions to help the Shipibo people, at the beginning of this year we attended A. a 71 year old master craftswoman, who is going through a process of terminal cervical cancer, she is the eldest of a family of craftswomen, mother of another famous painter and craftswoman. She needs quality of life in her last moments, medication to keep her stable and the family also needs support to maintain their nutrition and psychological support to express the emotions they feel in the process of accompanying the matriarch Anita. Given these needs, Alianza Arkana decided to support her by purchasing medicines and food, as well as assigning an intercultural social worker, who was responsible for listening to the concerns of the family and guide them in relation to the diagnosis and the necessary care to be taken towards the patient.

This master craftswoman has been one of the 6 beneficiaries of FES (Intercultural Health Emergency Fund) of these first two months of 2022. Like her, N. an artisan from the Native Community of Paoyhan with a diagnosis of meteorisms in the abdominal area received support from the Fund for her diagnosis, treatment and mobility. Also, E., a 7 year old girl, granddaughter of the artisan from the Native Community Limón Jema, received support from Alianza Arkana to pay her treatment for Pellagra, alleviating the economic worries of her grandfather, who supports her.

These are the artisan grandfathers and grandmothers who keep the legacy of the wisdom of the Shipibo people who today are in a delicate health situation and without further support from the Peruvian State.The care of them and their families is crucial to not lose their culture, intangible heritage of humanity, it is up to us to safeguard their lives and the ancestral knowledge they protect.