By Devon Graham | President, Project Amazonas
Throughout the pandemic, we were able to be able to provide relief to rural Amazon communities in the form of medications, and also some direct medical intervention with local Peruvian medical personnel. With the pandemic over, some of the urgency is gone, but the importance of the continuity of care remains the same - whether for covid-related illnesses or conditions, or for the dozens of other medical issues faced by underserved and remote rural communities. In just four days from posting this report, we'll be traveling about 400 km to serve a couple of very remote communities that are integral to the conservation of an incredibly rich biological reserve on the Tapiche River. These communities are 6-8 hours distant from the closest health post (a poorly stocked post with a single technician), and our visits are always welcomed and anticipated.
What is the connection between the provision of regular medical care and the conservation of an area rich in wildlife and timber, and with tremendous ecological value? It is fairly simple. People who feel that their medical needs are being listened and attended to are much more likely to be willing to cooperate when it comes participating in other activities which can impact their lives. Also, with regular medical visits, it is less likely that chronic or extreme medical conditions will have a chance to worsen to where people must leave the community to seek medical care simply due to the pain or debilitating nature of the problem. When people do have to leave, they also have to have money for transport, housing, food and incidentals. But where do they get the money? From selling bush meat (smoked or fresh peccary, deer, monkey caiman, other animals) or fish or turtles (or turtle eggs), or animal skins and feathers (jaguar, macaws, etc.). Hence the wildlife suffers because the human population is suffering from what are often preventable or treatable conditions when they are caught early enough.
The bottom line is that providing regular and continuing medical care is a win-win. For both the people in these communities, and also for the natural environment. And when the environment and wildlife is protected, that promotes tourism which means jobs and other economic opportunities that depend on maintaining a healthy environment - another win-win.
Each community has its unique circumstances, of course, but every community, no matter how remote or how close to medical care it might be, does benefit from regular visits by medical teams. Even if we are motivated strictly by selfish reasons (conserving the rainforest to help combat climate change so that our own homes don't flood or burn), Amazon communities will still benefit. And if we operate strictly because of humanitarian considerations (that every human being deserves access to health care), the environment will still benefit, and by extension, so will we. So we humbly request that you continue to support our medical work in the Peruvian Amazon, so that we can take care of the caretakers of the rainforest - for the benefit of everyone.
Thank you!
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By Devon Graham | President, Project Amazonas
By Devon Graham | President / Scientific Director
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