Arimae celebrates land title (photo courtesy Rainforest Foundation US)

With the initial $10,000 that you helped us raise last year, and over the critical summer months in Panama when most of the illegal logging takes place, Native Future helped Wounaan hire communications professionals to bring national and international press to the illegal logging issues that plague their communities. The journalists also trained Wounaan to manage the press and use social media.  As we reported earlier this year, news articles and video broadcasts reached Panamanian, South American, Chinese and MSN.com audiences. For links to these reports, please visit our news page.

Although the press campaign was only one of many strategies employed by Wounaan to get the government to act, we are happy to report its positive effects. By the end of September, government of Panama geographers were in the field verifying the boundaries of the community of Majé! Boundary verification is a critical milestone in land titling. The verification of Majé’s boundary by the government of Panama results in the official map that is the basis for title.  With your support, Native Future was also able to help the community of Majé cover legal fees associated with this crucial step.

Wounaan leaders reviewing maps with government geographer in Majé

We are also very happy to report that on December 10th, the community of Arimae, one of the most affected Wounaan Emberá communities because of the location of the Panamerican Highway, received title to 20,000 hectares of their land (a tenth of its original territory). The birthplace of the collective title movement, Wounaan and Emberá of Arimae have been fighting to protect their lands for forty years. (Click here for the full story.)  Arimae is the third Wounaan community to receive collective title - six more to go!

Your support is making a difference. In the year ahead, we will continue to carry out activities identified in Native Future’s Wounaan Land Rights program. We will continue to help Wounaan with targeted strategic communications technical assistance, and this year, with your help, Native Future will work closely with the Wounaan National Congress to carry out leadership retreats to strengthen their capacity to organize and self-govern. The Wounaan Higher Education fund also continues to prepare future Wounaan leaders and professionals, supporting Wounaan university students studying bilingual education, journalism and public administration. We would like to see it grow.
 
Thank you for your year-end donation to the Wounaan Land Rights Program. 
 

 

Visit Us Online at nativefuture.org!

Like Us on Facebook!   Share this Newsletter!