The nearly 20-minute documentary narrates the trajectory of the project “Charting New Paths to Well-being,” an initiative carried out by the Forest Warriors of the Caru Indigenous Land (MA), in partnership with the Wirazu association and ISPN, with support from the Comuá Network. Produced in a format that values the narratives of the Forest Warriors regarding their actions, the video also includes testimonials from beneficiaries of the micro-projects, a type of funding for small-scale actions, recounting how this initiative impacted their lives. The documentary is the result of audiovisual training for the project's indigenous communicators, who, together with ISPN and the production company Coletivo 105, recorded this innovative work of the Forest Warriors. The video is available on ISPN's YouTube channel ; for direct access, click here.
Learn more about the project “Charting new paths to well-being”
The project “Charting New Paths to Well-being” was born with the intention of contributing to the environmental management and territorial protection of the Caru Indigenous Land, through the strengthening of awareness-raising actions developed by the Warriors of the Forest, a collective formed by Guajajara indigenous women, in the villages surrounding this territory that constantly suffers from invasions by non-indigenous people for illegal logging, hunting, and fishing. This awareness-raising work has been developed for years together with the Guardians of the Forest, a collective formed by Guajajara men who carry out the protection and monitoring of the indigenous territory. The participation of the Warriors alongside the Guardians occurs through the strengthening of an approach based on dialogue and understanding of the situation of extreme social, political, and economic vulnerability in which these villages live. According to the indigenous women, this situation could be one of the factors that triggers the invasions of the indigenous territory. In addition to presenting the cultures and laws that guarantee indigenous rights, the Warriors also address the importance of environmental conservation of the forest and the ecosystem services that benefit both the Guajajara (indigenous people) and the caraiú (a term used to refer to non-indigenous people).
A recurring question was how to help these people improve their quality of life in a more concrete way? In this sense, the Guerreiras (Warriors) began seeking partnerships to develop projects that would contribute to the productive activities of these people while simultaneously collaborating with environmental conservation and the livelihoods of the indigenous territories. It was then that the opportunity arose in 2021 from a call by the Comuá Network, where Guerreiras, the Wirazu association, and ISPN managed to get the project "Charting New Paths to Well-being" approved. The initiative, therefore, had as its main objective to offer non-indigenous communities surrounding the Caru Indigenous Territory a small line of financing via micro-projects for the development of productive activities such as vegetable gardens, small farms and orchards/backyards, reforestation/nurseries, and small animal husbandry. In total, 20 families were supported through the portfolio of micro-projects, which were very important in increasing their economic activities and food security. “No one has ever come here to bring us a project like this, not even the government officials. The Warriors came, presented the projects, and we carried everything out with a great desire to work. That's why I'm very grateful to them,” said José de Arimatéia, one of the beneficiaries from the village of São João do Caru (MA).
“Although the amount is small, we observed how much these micro-projects made a difference in the lives of those families. We saw beautiful vegetable gardens, chicken coops, and fields; everyone was very satisfied. We hope that our work will also contribute to these people dispelling the mistaken view they have of us. We want them to know that we care about others, and that through this strengthening of the relationship with the villages, they will become our partners in protecting our territory,” stated Rosilene Guajajara.
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