Agroforestry the Peruvian Amazon

Dear all

First, as always, many thanks for your ongoing support.

The last thre months have seen a number of significant organizational changes as we increasingly embody our vison of being an intercultural organization.

• Profesor Eli Sanchez has been appointed in the role of Director of Intercultural Education. Profesor Eli has a long and distinguished career in intercultural education as well as great experience in working within the indigenous peoples movement in Peru. He was vice president of AIDESEP, the national Amazonian peoples organization and continues to lead the educational initiatives for ORAU, the regional indigenous peoples organization.  Now leading a consortium of three organizations - ORAU, AIDI, (Asociación Indigena de Desarrollo Integral), one of our key partners, and Alianza Arkana - Profesor Eli is developing an innovative training program for intercultural teachers for the year 2018

• As Profesor Eli has taken on my former role of Intercultural Education Director, I have changed role to Director of Research and Organizational Development

• We have apppointed Shirley Jane Mori Cairuna as our second Shipibo trainee. She will be working in the areas of eco-social justice and work with young women

• Daniel Matthews has been appointed Director of Eco-Social Justice. Daniel has been working with social movements in Peru, largely based in Lima, form the 1970's. He is also a published poet and has a Doctorate in Popular Latin American Literature.

• Interns/Researchers. As our reputation grows, more people are applying to work with us as volunteers, interns or researchers. We have two interns coming from a Masters program in International Development at the universitry of Jerusalem with us for four months between September and December this year. We have a student of social work at the university of Berne, Switzerland, coming to do his internship with us between August 2017 and February 2018. We are also talking with two students from the university of California in their final year of a degree program in 'Community and Environmental Studies' about doing internships with us from June to December 2017.

• Key roles now filled. From March, we have a Fundraising Coordinator startng to work with us and, from September, a Communications Coordinator will join us.Both people will stay for at least one year. These are both key volunteer roles that receive a small stipend as well as free accommodation.

I have also written a recent blog here called 'Crafting an Organization' about the way Alianza Arkana is evolving.

Any questions or comments you can always email me at: paul@alianza arkana.org

Best wishes  Paul