Nearly two years ago, Kapawi Ecolodge was transferred to full ownership and close to full management by the Achuar nation. As anticipated, it has been a time of much change and learning for the Achuar, as they develop a deeper understanding of what it means to successfully run a world-class lodge located right in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
Kapawi Ecolodge has always been very special to Pachamama as the two organizations came into being at around the same time. Since then Pachamama has been a close ally to the Achuar supporting them in this bold and challenging project.
One of the Achuar objectives that Pachamama has been supporting most recently in this regard has been the development of tourism management capacity within the Achuar nation. They made it clear before the Kapawi transfer that their main concern in this endeavor was the lack of trained management within the Achuar nation to run Kapawi Ecolodge independently. Fulfilling this objective came one very important step closer this week when the five Achuar students studying tourism management at the University of Tourism in Quito (UCT) all graduated from this Pachamama funded program with excellent grades. After two years of dedicated study and practical internship in Quito, far from their communities, these five students; Angel Etsaa, Antonio Shakai, Timoteo Etsamaren, Juan Callera and Kuji Uyunkar, presented their theses to a public audience on Thursday 5 November, and on Friday 6 November were presented with their diplomas in a formal graduation ceremony set up especially for them in UCT university.
It was a proud moment for the Achuar nation who clearly understand that university education is essential to the development of future Achuar leaders, not just in eco-tourism management but in all fields if the Achuar are to achieve an sovereign, holistic and sustainable development that strengthens the Achuar nation as a whole.
The five students have all returned to their communities for a short while now, needing a break with their families after completing their studies. Nevertheless, the Achuar are already working on a plan for the effective integration of these students into the Kapawi Ecolodge management fold. The Achuar president and Kapawi company (CEKSA) board member, German Friere, and the new General Manager, Andres Ordoñez have both made it clear that these young professionals are going to be a asset to the lodge and time can’t be lost in fully utilizing their skills and talent. In this integration process and Achuar tourism in general, the Achuar have also established a new valuable partnership from this program with UCT university, who has pledged it’s support to the Achuar tourism education process.
There are of course still challenges that Kapawi faces, and the current economic climate does not make running a tourism business any easier, but with the successful completion of the UCT university program, the Achuar tourism team has been notably strengthened, and the they are an important step closer to achieving their main objective of having Achuar members running this Achuar owned company.
