Meet the Children of the Pastaza
Welcome to their space! This is where we will share their hopes, dreams, questions, creativity, and hearts.
A drone was donated to the community and the students used it to introduce you to their school as it unfolds deep on the Pastaza River in the Amazon rainforest.
Bringing the school to life truly is a community effort: clearing the land, building the classrooms, creating the chakra (garden) to provide meals for the students, and so much more.
Wanach Tamarindo
Nase Peas
Wayampik Peas
Greti Wasump
Taki Senkuant
Charim Mukuin
Nukaim Canelos
Arutam Canelos
A Space of Deep Connection
Voices of the Future, Rooted in the Forest
This page belongs to the Children of the Pastaza.
It is a space to honor their hopes, dreams, questions, creativity, and leadership as they grow into the next generation of guardians of the Pastaza River and the Amazon Rainforest. Here, we share their stories—not as symbols, but as living, learning young people shaping the future of their community and our shared planet.
Rooted in Ancestral Wisdom
The children of the Pastaza are born into a living lineage of Indigenous knowledge. From an early age, they learn through relationship—listening to elders, walking the forest, understanding rivers, plants, animals, seasons, spirit, and connection.
This wisdom is not something of the past. It is adaptive, resilient, and deeply relevant to the challenges of today.
Bridging Two Worlds
As they grow, these children are also learning to navigate Western education and global systems. They are walking a vital boundary—holding ancestral Indigenous knowledge in one hand and new tools in the other.
This is not a choice between worlds. It is an act of integration.
The Children of the Pastaza are becoming translators between cultures, generations, and ways of knowing—leaders capable of guiding a future rooted in reciprocity, balance, and care for all life.
A Living Record of Growth
This page is also a place of ongoing connection.
Here you will find updates on:
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Progress toward the community-led school
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Student learning milestones and achievements
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New classrooms, infrastructure, and resources
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Community celebrations and collective efforts
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Reflections shared with consent by students, families, and elders
Each update is a reminder that this vision is not static—it is unfolding in real time.
The Future Is Taking Shape
These children are not waiting to inherit the future.
They are actively shaping it—learning at home, staying connected to family and culture, and gaining the skills needed to protect their land while engaging the wider world.
When we invest in the Children of the Pastaza, we invest in futures where forests remain standing, cultures remain alive, and education serves life rather than separating us from it.
An Invitation to Witness and Walk Alongside
We invite you to return to this page often. Listen. Learn. Celebrate progress.
By supporting Rooted Learning and community-led education in Sharamentsa, you are standing with the children who will carry this place—and our planet—forward.
They are the future, rooted in the forest, walking toward tomorrow with care.
Sponsor a Student
Your support is Funding:
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Cultural Preservation and Generational Pride
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Life-Centered Education that Honors all Life
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Preservation of Indigenous Ways and Wisdom
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Longer-term change identified by the articles in the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples
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Future Leaders Grounded in Equality, Unity, and Co-Creative Solutions
The Children of the Pastaza is a collaboration between the Community of Sharmentsa and that Center for Wild Hope, a 501c3. All donations will receive a tax donation letter.
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CHOOSE AN AMOUNT TO GIVE
Your sponsorship helps cover the real costs of learning—materials, instruction, connectivity, and community-based support—so students can stay with their families, elders, and forest.
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