By Lorena Mendoza Egúsquiza
This week began differently in Unión Base, home of the Living School of the Amazon (EVA). The sun had not yet risen, but the birds were already announcing"the house was full."The gathering circle at the school had never been so large during the guayusa ceremonies. More than 100 souls: graduates, new students, technicians, and leaders, came together, joining their spirits in response to the call of the elders and sharing the anticipation of reunion, or of discovery for those arriving at EVA for the first time.
Excitement, a little nervousness, and some shyness. That is how the first encounters usually feel among the many young people who arrive at the school. As one of the top students from the Class of 2025 shared: “We arrived without knowing who we were, and now we are a family.”
That is EVA: the union of the dream and wisdom of the elders with the strength and vitality of the youth. It is an Indigenous commitment to intercultural education, to safeguarding knowledge, to maintaining the connection between blood and territory, and to defending the collective. All of this with the clear premise of respect for Mother Nature, and the understanding that her gifts are spirits that have lived alongside Indigenous peoples for millennia.
Monday passed and the moment of the ceremony arrived. The school’s technical team, together with colleagues from CONFENIAE, organized a major logistical effort to have everything ready for the 2025 closing ceremony. One by one, the graduating students stepped forward to receive their diplomas. Smiling and laughing, they greeted each other until the moment of special recognitions arrived. Two women stood out as the top students: a young Kichwa woman from PAKKIRU and a young Awajún woman representing the Awajún Nation in Peru.
“We are part of a living fabric […] […] I am very moved to be part of the school. The forest teaches with words; it teaches with presence, with the murmur of the river, with the patience of the tree. Whoever learns to listen to it learns to know it.” (Adapted from the book Sinji, Wisdom of the Amazon)
Noa Illañez Griselda Yoshira, Kichwa People of Canelos – PAKKIRU
“To the new class, I want to tell you that you are ready to face the world with courage and conviction.”
Candy Janet Shajiam, Achuar People, GTAA
The words of these young women resonated among those present, reminding everyone of the importance of educational spaces led and managed by Indigenous peoples and nationalities themselves. It is in these spaces that the process of territorial defense—built from the territories over decades—continues to be sustained.
Domingo Peas, Zenaida Yasacama, Valerio Grefa, and Wrays Pérez, some of the Indigenous leaders from our Alliance and from CONFENIAE who were present, istened with pride.
“This school is not only about educating young people; it is about them joining this group of women and men who continue protecting the forest and continuing to exist within it. The forest gives life to the world—that is EVA.”
Wrays Pérez, Vice President of ASHA
“We are here proud to have 112 alumni. Many are presidents and leaders of their communities, connecting the world of the elders with modern realities.”
Valerio Grefa, Education Director of CONFENIAE
This year, 56 new students join the classrooms of EVA—13 representing the grassroots bases of AIDESEP and Indigenous nations of northern Peru, and 43 from CONFENIAE. With them, the number approaches nearly two hundred young people strengthened and prepared to guide the future leadership of Indigenous organizations across the Sacred Headwaters bioregion. It is a commitment by our Alliance to forge our own future—written and built from the vision of the elders and cultivated through the collective work of those who believe in the strength of this Alliance.