The Achuar eco-tourism management university program has now been running for almost one and a half years, the five Achuar students have completed an internship with the Marriott Hotel and they are about to enter the final semester. Once complete, these students, in coordination with NAE (the Achuar federation) and Kapawi Ecolodge, will start filling leadership roles in Achuar eco-tourism. This is an important step in achieving the NAE objective to have Achuar leaders trained and capable of taking Achuar eco-tourism forward into a thriving future.
The five students in this Pachamama financed scholarship program form a motivated group. They approach their work with focused dedication and have performed excellently in their studies so far. The last semester challenged the students with an intense work schedule including their internship in the Marriot Hotel in the mornings, English class after lunch, and then university classes in the afternoons and early evening. The internships in the Marriot were spent working closely with hotel middle management on day-to-day operation decision-making. In an intimate event to celebrate the completion of the Achuar internships with the hotel, the Marriot staff heaped high praise on the students for their positive attitude and capable manner of undertaking any task.
To finish off the second semester, the students continued work on their practical assignment on-site in Kapawi Ecolodge, which includes reworking Kapawi’s current operation manuals. Here the students are able to apply their knowledge critically while working closely with Kapawi lodge management and employees and with guidance from university tutors.
While in Kapawi, the Achuar university students also met with the local Achuar community high school. An agreement was reached for the university students to work with local teachers to help develop the current eco-tourism curriculum to make it more relevant to tourism in Achuar territory, and in so doing contribute to better prepared graduates leaving high school. They have also offered to give classes in the high school once they start working in the lodge. This is a very promising sign, as it is more self-sustaining when indigenous leaders themselves take the initiative to transfer newly learned skills back into the community.
And finally, although the students will soon start working in Achuar eco-tourism, they have all made it clear that they would like to continue their studies and complete their degrees. To accomplish this, they will be working and studying part-time after the completion of this semester.
