Update from the Peruvian Amazon November 21, 2020
COVID Relief and Voices of Survivors

We wrapped up the second phase of our CACE COVID Community Relief Campaign by sending packages with food and soap to 596 families in 10 villages along the Ampiyacu River and eight other locations in the region. Both times, we sent a variety of medicines to six health promoters and local clinics that serve people in multiple communities.

Our partners were very appreciate of the support and offered sobering comments about the impact of COVID. Rolando Panduro, President of the native federation in the Ampiyacu region told us: “I get a lump in my throat when I think about what we have been through. I have been running around trying to help my indigenous brothers, and often felt helpless when someone died. So many people couldn’t breathe, and the health centers had no oxygen. The pandemic taught us a very hard lesson. We have to take greater care of our health because this challenge is not over yet. I hope my artisan sisters will be able to sell their crafts again soon because they really need some income. We must take care of ourselves and recover from this blow." Read full report.

Thanks very much to the Sisters of Mercy and many others who supported this effort.

A New Ornament to Support Artisans and a Marvelous Endangered Bird
This week we finished hosting a new type of workshop with 16 artisans from Amazonas community on the Maranon River.
Unlike previous training sessions where larger groups practiced making several new types of crafts, this group only made ornaments of the marvelous spatuletail. Many artisans were rusty in their weaving skills since they had been focused on surviving the pandemic since March more than making crafts. We could still, however, buy most of their unique hummingbirds named for the male's bobbing blue tail. Selling these in the US will help our artisan partners in Loreto. We also hope to offer them to tourists visiting a reserve in the highlands that protects this endangered bird. These sales will support habitat restoration efforts with local farmers led by a fellow conservation group. Tell me when hummingbird ornaments arrive.
Please Support us on Giving Tuesday - Dec. 1
On December 1, Giving Tuesday, donations made to our project Support Native Artisans & Rainforest in the Amazon will receive a part of $1 million in matching funds through GlobalGiving. Please help us support our artisan partners, their communities and forest conservation in the Amazon.
The Sloths have Landed!

The Peruvian mail service has finally resumed international delivery after being shut down for 7 months due to COVID. We are happy that we recently received 7 boxes of crafts including a large batch of our best-selling sloth ornaments. We are offering a special discount to get our smiling two-toed friends to new homes for the holidays as soon as possible. Buy two sloths and get one free (enter 3SLOTHS at checkout). Your friends and family will love one. See other great hand-made animal ornaments including the cardinal, goldfinch, bluebird, owl, parrot, kingfisher, jaguar, ring-bearer frog, turtle, armadillo, and praying mantis.
Craft Showcase Live
You can visit our online Amazon Forest Store anytime. You can join CACE founder Campbell Plowden on Zoom for a live Craft Showcase on Sunday, Nov. 22 from 1:30 to 4:00 pm. He will provide a tour of all CACE products and share stories about the people, plants and places involved in making these eco-friendly crafts. You can also schedule a live showcase with Dr. Plowden at a different time.
We envision an Amazonia where people create sustainable livelihoods, empower communities, and regenerate the Amazon rainforest.