Chirapaq (Center for Indigenous Peoples Cultures of Peru) Executive Summary CHIRAPAQ, with the support of The Hunger Project (THP), works to build new alliances with other related organizations and to promote a process to strengthen indigenous leaders and organizations in Peru and Latin America through training, information dissemination and building awareness of the fundamental rights of women and indigenous peoples. Capacity Building We promote the indigenous process on Climate Change in Latin America. We have been following the agreements of the Latin American Summit on Climate Change and Impact on Indigenous Peoples organized by Chirapaq, the Continental Network of Indigenous Women and the Indigenous Council of Central America. In this regard, we have continued to carry out advocacy work in Latin America to ensure the functioning of the American Indigenous Forum on Climate Change, to promote the participation of indigenous women leaders in the I, II and III Forums held in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. This is all as part of the preparatory actions for indigenous participation at the next Conference of the Parties (COP16), to be held in Mexico in late 2010. We recommend that anti-poverty and malnutrition are sustained public policy within national government budgets. Two Latin American indigenous delegates participated in an informal session of the United Nations Assembly in New York from June 14-15, 2010, which addressed the level of compliance and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from the perspective of indigenous women leaders and NGOs. In this session, indigenous women leaders recommended that programs to eradicate poverty and malnutrition were included in the regular budget of the governments, and not only implemented external support, to promote sustainable actions for their eradication. It was noted that it is essential to develop a National Census which differs in its indigenous indicators, ensuring the right to free, prior and informed consultation of women and indigenous peoples in matters that affect them, and emphasizing the conditions of climate vulnerability where indigenous peoples are not only the most affected, but also have developed strategies for recovery, adaptation and mitigation. These recommendations were included for the September meeting at the UN. Chirapaq/Peru Page 1 of 5
We contribute to international strategies on gender and culture. A regional level, in the framework of the Forum of Indigenous Women's Experiences and International Cooperation held in Colombia on June 17-18, we promoted an approach that took into consideration the realities of indigenous women, respect to indigenous rights, and the role of indigenous women in the preservation of culture. We also contributed to the design of strategies to achieve effective cooperation with families, indigenous leaders and organizations. We contribute to the visibility of the need for inclusion in the commitments of governments in the Conference of ECLAC (UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean). Ensure the participation of indigenous women leaders of Peru in the XI Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Brazil from July 13-16, which raised awareness about the organizing process and empowerment of indigenous women in Peru and provided development of proposals designed to achieve economic empowerment and improved political and social status of indigenous women, which were ultimately included in the Brasilia Consensus Document. We create spaces for empowerment issues on Climate Change. We organized a working group on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation. The event included 9 women leaders of indigenous organizations in the Amazon regions, Cajamarca, Puno, Ayacucho, Loreto and who established an open dialogue with multilateral institutions and the state on policies related to climate change and REDD strategies. This event was held in Lima on 12 and 13 April 2010, at the site of the Andean Community of Nations and among the organizations invited to the State Ombudsman, the Ministry of Environment and National Institute of Development the Andean and Afro-Peruvian Amazon. Actions to enforce human rights and decrease maternal mortality. In May of this year, we developed an awareness campaign on indigenous rights in Ayacucho. The issues addressed by communities and indigenous women leaders were focusing the media on indigenous identity, the ancestral knowledge of indigenous peoples, and indigenous land and territory. In this last issue, national indigenous women leaders and the representative of the Ombudsman's Office raised the importance of addressing the right to free, prior and informed consent on matters affecting indigenous peoples in the country as part of compliance with the Convention 169 ratified by the Peruvian government and the Bill of Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In the area of environment, the Federation of Rural Women of Northern Peru - Cajamarca FEROCAFENOP made efforts to sensitize public officials, making the Ministry of Agriculture donate tree seedlings for reclamation and water. It is important to emphasize that these actions were led by the young people of the above organization. On the issue of sexual and reproductive health, indigenous organizations in the regions of Ucayali and Ayacucho managed to raise awareness about the Regional Plan for Equal Opportunities (PRIO) in Ucayali and Ayacucho to incorporate the theme of intercultural maternal health. Chirapaq/Peru Page 2 of 5
The high maternal mortality rates, inadequate attention to the need for an intercultural approach in health centers, and the little awareness of healthcare providers were raised by the women and their organizations. "... For indigenous women it is important to respect our customs, because we bring life. It is good for the health post, the hospital also treats us as midwives, because then we'll feel more confident, that should be in the PRIO." -leader of Ucayali Cocama At the organizational level, in the case of Ucayali, they raised the awareness of male leaders in the field of health "...for us the only problems the leaders always see in the organization is the land and territory. It is the most important because we live here, we produce food here but we are only now realizing that the issue of health is more important. We have largely neglected this issue, as it seems to be a problem only for women. But this is not so, because all are affected when they give birth and also suffer when something happens to the women... " -Ucayali Shipibo leader Young people from indigenous organizations in Ucayali and Ayacucho, carried out mobilization activities in maternal health issues with an intercultural perspective. As a result of these activities, there are plans for advocacy campaigns in the regions of Ayacucho and Ucayali. Organizational Strengthening Chirapaq promoted the birth of the National Organization of Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Women of Peru (ONAMIAP) as part of a process initiated and developed by Chirapaq for 14 years in the training and empowerment of indigenous women leaders of Peru for the exercise of their rights and leadership. In these first months, we have channeled resources to their operational performance, and development planning sessions enlarged the board of the organization. In terms of training, 300 women from 15 organizations from Ica, Ayacucho, Puno, Huancavelica, Junin and met and took over local management tools such as the Participatory Budget and the National Private Investment, enabling them to develop proposals at the local and regional level. The organizations that submitted their proposals to local governments are following up on initiatives such as the case of the Association of Families Displaced by Violence (ADEFA) in Ica and the Association Displaced Regional Chirapaq/Peru Page 3 of 5
Center of Peru (ARDCP) in Huancayo. We also developed a training module on the subject. Profile of a Leader in the Community Clelia Regina Rivero Clelia is the current president of the Departmental Federation of Mothers Clubs and Women Ayacucho (FEDECMA) and a Quechua, born in Castrovirreyna, Huancavelica. At the time of political violence, she and her family migrated to Huamanga, Ayacucho, in search of a better life away from violence, not knowing that they would return to live that same fear. Her activism started very young, accompanying her mother in her district organization working on the issue of food security. From that time to the present she has continued to work tirelessly in her organization for Quechua women's rights. She assumed the presidency at a time when the FEDECMA is going through one of its most difficult organizational crises, due to the destabilization caused by external political actors, who wanted to politically manage the organization: "It practically did not exist, (...) there is still FEDECMA?, people would say. "When I took office, I found the organization nearly destroyed. There were women who were managed by some male leaders who wanted to handle them politically. It was a very hard situation. With support from Chirapaq, we enlisted the Founders, and with them, we began to strengthen the organization, starting with the recovery of the history of the organization and reflecting on: why we had organized? where are we so far? We begin our task of rebuilding the organization and we were again regaining confidence and respect. The most important activity we did and then tried to take advantage of with other institutions, was to advocate for the regional government to approve the ordinance for the official adoption of the Quechua and Ashaninka languages, because as you know, women in Ayacucho are discriminated against because of our language. This has strengthened us a lot. NGOs started coming to see us, as FEDECMA again existed for them -- this made me cheer! After that, we started to sensitize the authorities to listen to the Defense of Indigenous Women. A district (San Juan Bautista) has approved the ordinance also. With the Ayacucho Indian Regional Platform, we held a great activity for the International Day of Indigenous Peoples this has also given us great joy. The Quechua community now tells me My Quechua language is okay. My clothes are okay. Now I know I'm important. These things have strengthened us a lot. Chirapaq/Peru Page 4 of 5
The other day my daughter came home from school and told me, the teacher told us that because of the FEDECMA, now we have to study Quechua. So tell me more in Quechua. Because of the ordinance of Quechua language formalization and Ashaninka, some schools are already trying to incorporate the language in the curriculum. Another joy for me was that in evaluating the teachers, they have given preference to teachers who speak Quechua. That is good for us, especially because sometimes, when little kids do not speak pure Spanish, a teacher may say gross, or I do not know, and that often makes them not want to return to school. What do I want to do next? I sleep well because I want to be regional advisor to work more for women of my organization. I would also like to finish nursing school. Chirapaq/Peru Page 5 of 5