Meet Inspiring Women

If a woman is dedicated, strong, and self-confident, she can carry out any project. In Sinchi Warmi, strong women are working for a community that is sustainable with our environment and our culture. Sinchi Warmi is a project not about one person or one woman, but about the many families who benefit. It allows us to feed, educate, and support our children, giving them everything they need."

As Indigenous women, we have come a long way in empowering ourselves and our communities. We've achieved a remarkable 70% leadership presence in various realms, breaking barriers and making our voices heard. Our struggle for recognition and rights has opened doors, enabling us to contribute to social and political spheres. Together, we are shaping a future where our heritage is cherished.Our message extends beyond our communities. I invite international, national, and local visitors to Amupakin, where they can witness the tireless efforts of women caring for our jungle, promoting healing, and preserving ancestral knowledge. By embracing our customs and traditions, we can revive lost wisdom and reconnect with nature's remedies.Looking ahead, our vision for Amupakin is to establish a registered and legalized hospital. We plan to achieve this by empowering our youth through education. We aspire to create a school or institute that offers midwifery degrees, ensuring the continuation of this vital practice. We want to visualize the pivotal role of the midwives that gave life to newborns throughout history, including before doctors. We are fighting for them so that ancestral knowledge and medicinal plants can be passed down and empower the next generation.”

Fulvia González is an Indigenous entrepreneur and leader of the Tsiru Alá project in Costa Rica. Fulvia and her family welcome visitors to learn about the cultivation of products on their farm, especially the cocoa that is transformed into artisanal chocolate. The project is a response to chocolate not being sold at a fair price and a desire to protect ancestral agricultural practices and organic plantations.All community members are part of the decision-making, but Fulvia is the coordinator of the project. She is very proud of how the project has developed and the impact it has had on the community. She notes how important it has been for her, as a woman, to make decisions, take action, and be an integral part of the work every step of the way. “In Tsiru Ala, women are everything and they do everything. For example, my daughter is a guide, a cook, and a motorcyclist. So women do everything and that is a role they enjoy.” Currently, the project is rising to the challenge of spreading the word about Tsiru Ala and proving that it is an opportunity for the entire community. Fulvia is happy that she has been able to lead and involve women such as her daughter, showing everyone the opportunities for the future it offers. “Dare to take decisions and begin,” Fulvia says. “Although difficult, it is not impossible. All women can do it!”

Maruja lives on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. She is a member of the Indigenous community of Santiago de Okala, which has dedicated itself to tourism for several years.Shy when speaking in public or sharing her ideas, Maruja was not interested in being a leader. For years, members of her community asked her to lead the tourism program due to her discipline and ability to complete tasks. She was already fulfilling this role in many ways, though without the official title. Maruja preferred listening and giving advice to a position of responsibility. The idea frightened her. It wasn’t common for women to take on such roles.Eventually, she decided to break the paradigm. Still fearful, she took on the role of a community leader. From that moment on, everything changed. Maruja was used to fulfilling the requests of others and not asking why things were done the way they were. Taking on decision-making responsibilities resulted in a complete personal transformation. She made herself available to her community and lead those who were wary about participating. In a space usually led by men, she was able to gain respect by putting collective interests above individual ones. She is very proud of how she has thrived in a typically macho society.Since then, she has accomplished a lot. Along with structuring the organization and its finances, she has put her community on the map when it comes to tourism. Maruja continues to work at involving more locals into the project and making sure the area is managed sustainably so that it does not lose its peacefulness and authenticity.

Modesta is 33 years old. Every day, she goes out to work in the fields to feed her three children. For five years, she has been part of the tourism project frun by her community of Chumpe, which is part of the La Tierra de Los Yaqchas network in the Sacred Valley of Cusco. Since she has been part of the group of women working in tourism, she says that her life has changed. She says she is now an independent woman and can give her children a better future.Before working in tourism, Modesta says that she did not know her rights. Being able to meet with other women and talk to them about their roles in the community has led each one to become leaders, not only in their communities but also in their families. They now not only take care of the housework, but have become entrepreneurs, generating income for their families. In some cases, they even employ their husbands for tourism-related activities.Modesta feels strong. She believes that she can bring change to her community and feels that, with each action she takes, the young women in her community learn to love their Indigenous culture and know their own strength. She knows that she is setting an example for her children and that they are proud of her. Her dream is that they will become professionals and return to the community of Chumpe to contribute to it without losing their Indigenous heritage.Modesta hopes that tourists who visit Cusco and Machu Picchu will continue to visit so that they can continue to bring change to the community. Now Tierra de Yaqchas is working to generate school programs that teach young people about tourism. Through collaboration, the women are sharing with the next generation their values and Indigenous knowledge in a way that will allow the Sacred Valley region to develop in a way that respects their culture.

The biggest challenge I face is the machismo I see in other cultures. This is something I am not used to, where women are in the shadow of men.My wish for women is that they believe each and every day that they are capable of getting ahead. They are capable of loving and caring for themselves, and in doing so are better able to give something to society and their own families."