Amazon Amigos

Hope for the Rainforest and its People

Make a difference in the lives of the people of the Amazon Rainforest.

What is Amazon Amigos?

Amazon Amigos is a project of the TREE Foundation (a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation)and enables contributors to make a tax-deductible donation directly impacting the lives of Amazonian people. All proceeds of Amazon Amigos directly benefit Conservación de la Naturaleza Amazónica del Perú, A.C. (CONAPAC), a non-profit organization in Iquitos, Peru. CONAPAC's mission is to promote conservation of the rainforest through education of its stewards, the people who live along the Amazon and Napo Rivers in the upper Amazon basin of northern Peru.

Why should I care about the Amazon Rainforest?

As much as 20% of Earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest. Because its vegetation continuously uses carbon dioxide to create oxygen, it has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet.” Not only that, but deforestation by burning trees releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than all of the cars, planes, ships, put together! Also, there’s more to know about the Amazon Rainforest as a source of life-saving drugs, biodiversity, our source of fresh water, and ethnodiversity. Get the facts!

Why are the people of the Amazon critical for saving the Rainforest?

The rainforest and its people are inseparable. Preservation of the Amazon Rainforest is dependent on improving the health and well-being of Amazon children and families, who live in this extraordinary part of the world. The upper Amazon basin of northern Peru is an important region of the Amazon. Unfortunately, development monies rarely reach this far into the jungle and it is largely overlooked by international aid organizations. Even the Peruvian government has, in large measure, forgotten these river people and their impact on the future of the Amazon Rainforest. CONAPAC is working to improve the education, conservation, and community leadership in the remote river villages in this area.

How does my contribution to a water purification plant help save the Amazon rainforest?

The availability of potable water is essential in building healthy, sustainable communities. In 2008, CONAPAC decided to expand its programs to include the installation of water purification plants. Today there are 21 water treatment plants in the villages along the Amazon and Napo Rivers. Amazon Amigos has launched a Campaign to Bring Clean Drinking Water to the many villages in this region that remain to be served.

Though river water is plentiful, it is not fit to drink, carrying parasites that cause a range of intestinal problems, diarrhea, malnutrition, and chronic illnesses especially in the young and very old. Yet nearly all inhabitants of this area rely on the river for their drinking water.

The river people of the Amazon have many challenges if they are to avoid the extensive rainforest destruction that has occurred in neighboring countries like Brazil. Chief among these is building infrastructure for clean drinking water, accompanied by education about health, the environment and sustainable methods of development. Click here for our FACT SHEET: Bringing Clean Drinking Water to the Amazon.

Amazon Amigos is made possible by the TREE Foundation and Environmental Expeditions, with thanks to the Amazon Explorama Lodges and Ecoprint. All proceeds benefit CONAPAC, the Civil Association for Conservation of the Peruvian Amazon Environment. CONAPAC is an NGO formed in July 1990 in Iquitos, Peru to serve a region of the upper Amazon. Click here for a map of the region. Click here for a map of villages and completed Water Treatment Plants. How is Amazon Amigos contributing to CONAPAC’s work and making a difference? 2010 Report, 2009 Water Treatment Plant Report, 2009 Report

Contribution Form - Donate to the Campaign to Bring Clean Water to the Amazon by printing out and either snail mailing, faxing, or scanning and emailing your completed form to Amazon Amigos, 9335 Fraser Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, Fax 301-585-4899, info@amazonamigos.org. See order form for instructions. Call 800-431-2624 for assistance. Thank you for your generous donation!

Include check or money order payable to the TREE Foundation with your Contribution Form or submit your Form to Amazon Amigos and donate online through PayPal by clicking the button below (Due to processing costs the minimum donation is $25 using PayPal. If you would like to send less, please do so by using the Contribution Form and mail option.)

Your donation is tax-deductible and has tremendous leverage here. All administrative services, printing, mailing, and promotions have been donated. Your contribution goes directly to fund the nonprofit Conservación de la Naturaleza Amazónica del Perú, A.C. (CONAPAC), the organization spearheading the Amazon Amigos sponsored projects on the ground in Peru. No bureaucracy, just a cadre of committed individuals wanting to make a change in their communities.

CONAPAC (Conservación de la Naturaleza Amazónica del Perú, A.C.) has a remarkable track record. Throughout its 19 years, CONAPAC’s Adopt-a-School program, in cooperation with the Detroit Zoological Society, has brought classroom materials and training to over 4,500 children and teachers in 96 schools in 57 river communities. Along with the Adopt-a-School Program, CONAPAC has developed teacher and community workshops to improve the level of education in rural communities along the Amazon and Napo Rivers. The ongoing goodwill created by this program and other service projects organized by CONAPAC provides a network of community leaders to further expand development and assistance efforts. For an archive of CONAPAC’s yearly reports, click here for 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The time to introduce practical ideas of community and sustainable development is now. Peru has not yet suffered the devastating destruction of their rainforests as Brazil and other neighbors. However there are signs of compromise, as we see each year more and more logs floated on barges en route to lumber mills, more land being cleared along the rivers for cattle farms, and more meat of endangered species in the market place. With options in place to counteract these pressures, the Peruvian Amazon stands a better chance of improving the heath and well being of its people, growing a sustainable economy and preserving its vital natural resources.

For further information: info@amazonamigos.org
Amazon Amigos, 9335 Fraser Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, Fax 301-585-4899
1-800-431-2624