IMPACT INITIATIVES
Living in Peru for many years has taught us much about the power of generosity and reciprocity.
Most Shipibos and most of our Peruvian neighbors live in what westerners would consider utter poverty. Centuries of vicious colonialism and repression have run head on into the more subtle challenges of urbanization and modernization. The indigenous peoples of the jungle face a complex web of threats to their survival and cultures, such as chronic underemployment, epidemics of obesity and diabetes, contaminated drinking water, smart phone addiction, high teenage pregnancy rates, and the continued theft and destruction of their ancestral land and resources.
This is the harsh and undeniable context within which our ayahuasca retreats and dietas take place. The Shipibo wisdom tradition itself is at risk of dying out over the next generation if nothing is done to protect and encourage it. On the one hand, this inevitably weighs on our hearts and minds. On the other hand, we allow it to inspire us to fight for change and work towards solutions.
We have big dreams and high hopes for the future, but talk is cheap! So, we are starting with small concrete steps and counting on the ripple effects to grow with time. Read on to learn about our current initiatives and the ones that we are calling in for the future.
If you have relevant skills and/or are seeking some philanthropic adventurism in your life, feel free to reach out to us!
RICHARD'S LAND AND FAMILY
Richard owns a piece of land that he worked hard for years to buy and begin developing. His dream is to have the land producing food and medicine while also serving as a small dieta center. On his own, he has paid for the land, built a nicely equipped main house, and planted dozens and dozens of fruit trees and medicinal plants. We are helping him to take the project forward and bring his dream to life.
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Why: Not only do we love Richard, but he and his family are the perfect first place to start with initiatives that contribute to more than one of our larger goals — encouraging
Shipibo entrepreneurship, preservation of Shipibo medicine wisdom, food production within the Shipibo community, and incentivizing the next generation of Shipibo maestros to take on the craft.
When: Happening now. Work began in February of 2025.
PLANTING AYAHUASCA
Plant 500 ayahuasca vines on Shipibo owned land in the next five years and incentivize the stewardship of those vines.
Why: Ayahuasca is a slow growing vine. It can take seven years or longer for a vine to reach the age of “medicinal maturity”. When harvested appropriately, the vine’s roots continue living and producing new medicine. However, as you can imagine, not everyone uses responsible harvesting techniques and it seems that the wild vines are disappearing at an alarming rate.
The solution may seem obvious, but the reality on the ground is rather complex. Yes, we need to plant vines, but we also need to identify and incentivize Shipibo families willing to care for the vines, and, when the time is right, responsibly harvest them.
When: Happening now. As of June 2025, we are in the testing and development stage of this initiative. The vines are easy to sprout. The complicated, time-consuming, and expense-generating piece of the puzzle is giving them structure to grow on in a location that can be protected and responsibly harvested.
SHIPIBO EMBROIDERY INITIATIVE
Encourage and stimulate the ancestral Shipibo embroidery craft by connecting the artisans to a wider market in the developed world.
Why: The Shipibo style of embroidery is a unique rainforest tradition of psychedelic-infused culture and cosmology.
The income generated by the creators of this dazzling, hand-stitched artwork is the only thing keeping the tradition alive in our world of mechanized looms and
fast fashion – and it is the lifeblood of many families in this
community. To encourage and stimulate this traditional art form could create far reaching ripple effects.
When: Happening now. Kajsa is helping the mothers, sisters, aunties, and cousins of two selected Shipibo families to bring the ancestral embroidery patterns to life in a way that opens new markets and new possibilities.
SHIPIBO LANGUAGE DIGITAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Produce a series of Shipibo language videos intended for viewing on Facebook (the primary internet platform used by most Shipibos). The intention is to spread effective and valuable information about topics such as family planning, contraception, diabetes, obesity, basic nutritional information, women’s rights, etc.
Why: Like many indigenous communities, the Shipibos are facing a complex web of challenges related to
modernization and urbanization. Basic information about these challenges is totally absent in most Shipibo families and communities.
When: Soon, hopefully. We are calling in funding and some talented editors, creators, and producers to bring this project to life.
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