Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) is supporting a project to develop a Pan-Amazonian Apostolic Plan, which will be undertaken by the Jesuit Conference of Provincials of Latin America and the Caribbean (Conferencia Provinciales en America Latina y el Caribe or CPAL).  The initiative aims to strengthen the Jesuit Service of the Pan-Amazon Region (El Servicio Jesuita Panamazonico or SJPAM).

The plan is meant to respond to the challenges faced by the pan-Amazon region in a more strategic and innovative way. The Pan-Amazon region is made up of parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. CPAL established SJPAM in 2014 to “defend and promote life and a sustainable environment in Pan-Amazonia in solidarity with the poorest, the most excluded and in particular with the Indigenous Peoples.”

The process for developing the plan will include an assessment of existing areas of work in the region, as well as consultations. There will be “spaces for dialogue and reflection on the challenges and achievements of the work and alliances present in the Pan-Amazonian territory,” according to a project narrative submitted by CPAL and SJPAM.

The Jesuit presence in the Pan-Amazon region currently includes 95 schools, five social centers, two institutions of higher education, 10 Indigenous missions, a radio station, five churches, two retirement homes, a news agency, a cultural center, and initiatives on migration and youth.