Soccer Uniforms and Sports Shoes for Sharamentsa –An International Community Engagement and Support P roject

Who are the Achuar?

• A remote

indigenous tribe

living in

harmony with

nature in many

scattered

communities far

removed from

the western

world in the

Southern

Ecuadorian

Amazon

Where do they live?

Proximity to Australia15,432 km

Ecuador

How remote?• The Achuar live In a rich and bio diverse region at the headwaters of the high Andes deep in the

Amazon very close to the Peruvian border

Dream Culture

• In Achuar culture,

dreams are a

guiding principle

of life, shared each

morning before

sunrise. Shamans

play an important

role in the spiritual

life of Achuar

communities,

including the

interpretation of

dreams.

The evolution of an ancient culture

• Even though the Achuar love their way of life and are fully dependant on the Amazon jungle for their existence, slowly the Achuar are embracing some western help that is seen by them as beneficial to their unique way of life.

How do you get to Achuar

communities?

Fly

Canoe

Walk

Warm welcoming communities

Arrival Community discussion

Young leaders assuming responsibility

Everything is important to the Achuar

Their Families Their Children

Everything is important to the Achuar

The environment Their mobility in the jungle

Everything is important to the Achuar

Construction of sustainable communities Sustainable waste

Everything is important to the Achuar

Partnership with the westAssistance with birthing and child mortality

Everything is important to the Achuar

Cultural Exchange Social activities

ExchangeOn my last visit as a part of a cultural exchange activity with the community, I presented the leader of Sharamentsa (Agustin, who is also the captain of their soccer team), with my own sports shirt as a gift.

After a community discussion with other leaders and members of the team Agustin made a request to me to help establish a set of uniforms for his team that was in my own sporting teams colours with co- branding.

I agreed.

I am now planning the best way forward with this project establishing fundraising platforms and gaining media exposure where possible.