Together with other members of the Xavier Network, Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) works with the Jesuit Service for the Pan-Amazon Region (SJPAM) and Fe y Alegría (FyA) International Educational Network to raise awareness of ecological and social justice issues and to promote intercultural and bilingual education in the Amazon region.
The people who live in the Amazon River Basin share resources, cultures and lands that stretch across established national boundaries. Fe y Alegría and SJPAM are working with local communities in 5 countries – Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela – to strengthen indigenous identity according to each community’s needs and to address the environmental damage caused by the exploitation of natural resources.
Pilot projects have been launched in 26 schools in different parts of the region. Our partners are developing intercultural and bilingual education curricula tailored to the culture and environment of local communities. Teachers and students need programs to prevent indigenous languages from disappearing, and they also need Spanish or Portuguese to interact with others as their communities change.
Through mutual exchange and collaboration, these 26 schools are working with their local communities and with government and environmental organizations to identify and implement actions to protect their natural resources and build a culture of solidarity, awareness and care for "our common home".
As the Colombian Jesuit Provincial, Carlos E. Correa, has noted, “The Amazon is a key territory for the future of all humanity. Our commitment to its original inhabitants and the biodiversity that exists there is a clear manifestation of how we join our hearts to God, who works tirelessly to make life full.”
Pan-Amazon Initiative Director: Fr Luis Javier Sarralde SJ
Leticia, Colombia
Read the latest project impact report: Click here
Bolivia: 948 students; 52 teachers
Brazil: 80 students; 27 teachers
Ecuador: 596 students; 24 teachers
Peru: 1, 726 students; 50 teachers
Venezuela: 5, 465 students; 228 teachers
$45,000 (CJI contribution per year; from 2024 to 2027)
The second stage (2024-2027) of the Pan-Amazon initiative of Fe y Alegria includes the following:
Please support the work of the Pan-Amazon Intercultural and Bilingual Education Program by making a donation:
Canadian Jesuits International
70 Saint Mary St
Toronto, ON
M5S 1J3
Canada
Tel: 416.465.1824
Toll Free (Canada and USA): 1.800.448.2148
Email: cji@jesuits.ca