A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

Additional Resources

Those engaged in work for human rights in Ecuador and the Amazon.

Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador
Formed in 1986, CONAIE coordinates human rights struggles of Ecuadorian indigenous communities, especially in the Andean region. “CONAIE is the representative body that guarantees indigenous people the political voice that has too long been denied them, and that expresses their needs and goals within a rapidly changing world. CONAIE is an autonomous indigenous organization, independent of political parties, or any state, foreign or religious institution.” Spanish, English, Quichua.

Abya-Yala Indigenous Foundation
A private non-profit institution, cultural center, and museum founded in 1975. Represents indigenous communities of Latin America, strives to document and preserve the cultural values of indigenous populations, to sensitize society to the situation of indigenous peoples, and to preserve indigenous languages. The site includes a catalogue of publications. Spanish.

Human Rights in Ecuador
Articles about human rights struggles in Ecuador. Links to many Ecuadorian human rights organizations. This website is provided by the news service of Nizkor, a Latin America-wide human rights organization. Most documents are in Spanish.

Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador
Various news and informational articles about indigenous rights struggles in Ecuador. Some background articles on indigenous culture. Links to many articles covering events in Ecuador. Links to web sites of indigenous organizations. Spanish and English.

Map of Ecuador
A map of Ecuador with locations of indigenous communities. Links to articles describing those communities.

Amazon Watch
Amazon Watch works with indigenous and environmental organizations in the Amazon Basin (especially in Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador) to defend the environment and advance indigenous peoples' rights in the face of large-scale industrial development. The site includes regular news and updates on campaigns to save the Amazon. English.

Amazon Alliance
The Amazon Alliance for Indigenous and Traditional Peoples of the Amazon Basin, founded in 1990, is composed of eighty non-governmental organizations from the North and South. Based in Washington D.C. This site describes environmental campaigns and working groups that are part of the Alliance. English and Spanish.

Rainforest Action Network
Rainforest Action Network works to protect the Earth's rainforests and support the rights of their inhabitants through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action. This site contains news and updates on campaigns to save the rain forest. It provides action alerts, press releases, curriculum packets for teachers, fact sheets, and suggestions for work of activists. English.

The Pachamama Alliance
The mission of the San Francisco-based Pachamama Alliance is to preserve the Earth's tropical rainforests by empowering the indigenous people who are its natural custodians, and to contribute to the creation of a new global vision of equity and sustainability for all. This site describes Pachamama’s capacity-building work with the Achuar tribe, covers the latest news on conservation of the Amazon and provides a virtual rainforest tour. English.

The Cofan Tribe
The web page of the Cofan indigenous people of northeastern Ecuador. endangered and practically wiped out by Texaco’s early destruction of the environment of Sucumbios province. This site describes Cofan culture, conservation projects, and ecotourism programs of the community. “As the original inhabitants of Ecuador's northeastern rain forests, we can offer you an insider's view of this incredibly complex environment we call home.” News about happenings in Cofan country. English

Amazon Defense Front
The Amazon Defense Front (FDA) was founded in 1994 to support the class-action lawsuit representing 30,000 people in the northern Oriente whose environment and livelihood had been seriously endangered by bad practices of Texaco. The organization has since branched out to help local communities throughout the region fight against oil development. Site contains information about the work of the FDA, the Texaco lawsuit, sections about local indigenous communities, and the new oil pipeline project. (Spanish)