Emergency Fund for Shipibo Healers & Local Workers

Dear friends,

Thanks to you, our efforts to provide relief to the Shipibo healers and local workers of the Temple, Shipibo Rao, and Niwe Rao Xobo in Peru continue. Here in Peru, a strong second COVID wave hit between March and May. The central and northern Amazon region, including the Shipibo nation, were once again heavily affected.

On June 3rd, some of our Shipibo team met together in the Plaza de Armas in Yarinacocha, near Pucallpa to discuss the crowdfunding campaign. Many of them couldn’t make the meeting as they are located in villages up and down the river Ucayali. Maestra Laura, Maestra Anita, Maestro Segundo, Maestro Damian, Maestro Richard, Clementina (one of the cooks), and Manuela (one of the herbalists) all expressed deep appreciation for the support that they have received throughout the pandemic.

The campaign funds have been critical for them all, covering food expenses and some medications for family members with COVID. Several of them said that the support has basically saved the lives of some of their family members and young children.

The team at Niwe Rao Xobo also met on June 9th to share their appreciation to all who have supported them by donating to the campaign over the course of the pandemic. Maestra Ynes, together with Denis, Lila, David and the rest of her family all shared how deeply grateful they are and touched by the level of help they have received during the difficult times they have all faced over the last year.

This profound gratitude is also shared by the local staff of the Temple, expressed by the management team (translated from Spanish):

"Finding out that we could no longer work at the Temple and had lost our income in the midst of the uncertainty due to the pandemic was a very difficult situation. However, having the support of the friends of the Temple gave us a light of hope for our family to make it through the pandemic. I thank the donors with all of my heart for supporting us in this way.” - Jose Castaneda

"I felt that [the donations] alleviated the economic worries that arose throughout the pandemic, and felt so happy that the Temple did not abandon us and even looked for allies to support us through the difficult times. It is a gesture that will remain permanently in my mind and in my heart. Thank you GlobalGiving and all of the donors for contributing to the well-being of our family, especially when we need it most.” - Irma Videyra

"When they told me that operations needed to close and we would no longer continue our work, I did not know what to do or where to turn. When we heard that they had donations for each of us, I was happy, relieved, and grateful, because with that support I was able to cover some of my expenses and better organize myself to face the quarantine. It's good to know that in difficult moments, the Temple, to which I have dedicated my time and effort over many years, gave me a hand to get ahead. Thank you!" - Levi Estela

And expressions of gratitude from the Lopez family (from Niwe Rao Xobo and the Temple, translated from Spanish):

"I want to thank the Temple, Chaikuni, and all of the donors on the part of the whole team of Niwe Rao Xobo for the donations that we were given. Thank you, a thousand times, thank you! We are very content and happy that we have received these donations. Thank you for thinking of us, for remembering us, and for this we thank you so much! Thanks to these donations, we were able to sustain our lives and families during this pandemic and it also made it possible for us to visit and support the sick and to share what we have with others in need so that they could feed their children. Thank you so much!" - Maestra Lila (Daughter of Maestra Ynes)

"I am very thankful for this donation that was given. Thanks to this, we could support ourselves and our families, and buy food and medicines. Thank you, I am very content, thank you!" - Diana (Daughter of Maestra Ynes, Cook)

"We are very happy and grateful to have received 5 donations from the Chaikuni Institute. We feel very content in this moment - without this support we would not have been able to maintain our center and our business, and this support also helped to sustain our family. On the part of Niwe Rao Xobo, thank you very much!" - Carlos (Son of Maestra Ynes, Medicine Cook)

"From those of us who live here at Niwe Rao Xobo, I want to give thanks for the donations that we received. Thank you for this gesture, and with this support we were able to procure many basic necessities, and to help others. Because of this we are very thankful at this time. We hope to continue receiving support so that we can also continue to support those around us in need. This is a very critical time, and there are many in need. Thank you very much for this support." - Hernan (Brother of Maestra Ynes, Onsite Manager)

"Firstly, I want to thank the Temple of the Way of Light, Chaikuni Institute, and all of the generous donors. I am the one in charge of receiving these donations, and we have shared these donations with the whole family of Niwe Rao Xobo. I express the gratitude of our whole family; Maestra Ynes, Maestra Lila, Maestra Laura, Maestro David, and all of the workers of Niwe Rao Xobo. Thanks to these donations we have been able to procure the supplies and medicine that we needed for the pandemic. We have passed through a very critical time - we never thought that this kind of situation could happen. Thank you for helping us to maintain our center, and for the support to maintain all of our workers. We hope that more support will come, as we have many needs at this time.. Thank you for your good hearts to support people that need it." - Denis (General Manager)

Many of the Temple healers have also been taking part in an important initiative being run by ASOMASHK (the association of Shipibo Onanyabo (healers)) over the past few months. Supported by funding through the Chaikuni Institute, a team of up to 21 Onanyabo have been visiting local villages around Pucallpa to provide shamanic and plant based and western medications to local Shipibo people, who have essentially been abandoned by the local health authorities throughout the pandemic. The donations raised in the emergency relief campaign have enabled our healers to stay strong, well fed, and support many others during these challenging times.

The Temple is planning to reopen at the end of August. All of the healers and staff are excited to return to work and to their mission, providing deep healing, at a time when it is needed more than ever before. However, we still have two and a half months to go and all funds contributed to the relief campaign have been disbursed.

We request your continued support of this campaign through August, so that we can continue to provide this crucial relief over the coming months until our staff and healers can return back to work!

With much appreciation and gratitude,

Temple of the Way of Light and Chaikuni Institute