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NEWS

Shuar Water Crisis &
Giving Back (Update)

Clean Water for Taisha: A New Future Begins

​Thanks to the first well in Tuutinentsa, these children now have safe water to drink, bathe, and grow strong

(Wed. December 17th, 2025) During the last decades while living inside the Amazon Rainforest near Taisha, Morona-Santiago- Shuar families have been completely reliant on rivers that have become increasingly contaminated for drinking and bathing.This past year, these conditions have created an extremely tragic event - eight Shuar children died from a preventable waterborne illness.

 

Until this year, no other organization or group has adequately addressed this critical issue of clean water.

 

In close partnership with Shuar leadership, Giving Back has begun the task of solving this ongoing terrible threat- once and for all.

 

For the first time ever this December, water wells have been installed to provide safe drinking and bathing water for the Shuar Peoples.

 

This is a start, but our work is far from complete.

 

During the 1st half of 2026, it is absolutely vital that this work is continued & that we install 40 additional Shuar wells. These new wells will radically change the lives for the more than 10,000 individuals over the expansive Shuar Territory. Details on Shuar Water Wells:

 

  • Produce up to 1,000 gallons of clean drinking water per day

  • Require a three-day setup and installation process carried out by a four-person technical team

  • Wells provide access to clean underground aquifers that are tested and verified as safe for drinking

  • The drilling group is led by trained technicians drawn from the Shuar community

  • Consistent construction quality is ensured through the use of a standardized rotary drilling rig designed for reliable performance in remote terrain

 

Each comunity well only costs $2,400 USD to construct. Each Shuar well brings great hope & life to Shuar communities that desperately need our support at this time.

 

Please help us achieve this goal. Your donation for a Shuar Well literally provides a secure future to the Guardians of the Amazon Rainforest and their children.

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Utilize the Donate Button below or if you have further questions- contact us by email & we would be happy to speak with you.

Your donation will help us greatly as we continue to expand this vital program during 2026

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WHAT WE DO

Giving Back is a nonprofit organization that actively supports the Indigenous Shuar communities of Morona-Santiago, Ecuador.
 

For centuries recognized as Guardians and Protectors of the Amazon Rainforest, the Shuar have historically received little or no help from the outside world for their immense work.
 

Realizing this critical juncture in time, Giving Back has accepted the calling to financially support the Shuar's survival through essential activities such as providing clean water along with other sustainable & regenerative projects, which in turn also protects the Amazon Rainforest for us all.
 

First founded in the year 2000 by Karen Peterson, Giving Back has for many decades supported intergenerational education — connecting elders and youth through shared learning. Today the organization continues this work by focusing on the intergenerational promise by the Shuar to Protect the Amazon Rainforest and its Peoples.

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Come join us in this vital mission.

CONTACT

email: shuardelaselva@gmail.com

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© 2025 by Giving Back

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