Dear friends,

My name is Nemonte Nenquimo -- I’m a Waorani woman, a mother, and an Earth defender from the Amazon.

Right now, the Ecuadorian government is trying to quietly auction 8 million acres of pristine rainforest to oil companies. 

This land is not empty, it's alive! It pulses with the scent of rain-soaked earth, the wisdom of our elders, and the laughter of our children. It is home.

But if the government succeeds, our forests could fall silent, and the lifeblood that has sustained us for centuries could be lost forever. So, we’re taking them to court.

In just a few weeks, the Waorani and other Indigenous Peoples will march to the capital, demanding the Constitutional Court block the illegal sale of our lands. But mobilising entire communities from remote Amazon regions is costly -- we need your urgent help.

If enough of you donate, we could expose the government's betrayal, deploy top lawyers to challenge every permit, and build an unstoppable Indigenous resistance to defend what is sacred. Your help will also power Avaaz’s campaign to ignite a global movement for Indigenous rights.

Six years ago, I led my people to a landmark court victory, stopping the sale of half a million acres that my ancestors had safeguarded for generations. We won because Avaaz members like you stood with us -- thank you!

I’m asking for your support again -- only this time the stakes could not be higher. Please donate what you can now:

The government is trying to keep the auction in the shadows – and they’re moving fast. They know that once the bulldozers start tearing down the forest, it will be harder for us to reclaim our land.


Image: Nemonte seen here in 2019 with other members of the Waorani People and allies marching joyfully after winning a landmark court case against the government, which helped protect 500,000 acres of Waorani territories from oil drilling.

We're up against billion-dollar contracts and an industry built on destruction. But this forest is our entire existence and our children’s future. And we, the Indigenous guardians of the Amazon, are not going to let the politicians sell it off for cash.

We’ve stopped them before – and with your help, we can do it again. If we raise enough, we could:

• Help fund a wave of coordinated, Indigenous-led lawsuits to save more than 8 million acres of Amazon from oil drilling;
• Support Indigenous resistance across the Amazon, like sponsoring Indigenous marches to the capital, advocacy meetings, and media tours to expose harms from extractive industries;
• Set up an emergency travel fund for Indigenous leaders so they can attend global climate and biodiversity talks, and demand their voices be heard;
• Supercharge Avaaz's campaigns to help increase Indigenous land access and rights across the Amazon, and safeguard Indigenous rights globally.

Being Waorani is itself an act of resistance. Defending our land has been in our blood -- whether with peach palm spears, or with lawsuits and mass mobilisations. Today, more people than ever are standing with us to protect our way of life. Join us once again -- donate what you can now:

I’ve learned that from every threat a chance is born to build something even stronger. In 2019, when saving 500,000 acres of our ancestral land felt impossible, dozens of communities united -- and thousands around the world stood with us. That was just the beginning. There are 8 million acres to defend now, and with this battle we will write a new chapter of Indigenous resistance.

For the forest, always,

Nemonte Nenquimo with Avaaz

Note: Nemonte Nenquimo is an Indigenous Waorani leader, activist, and defender of the Amazon rainforest. She co-founded Amazon Frontlines and the Ceibo Alliance. In 2019, she led a historic legal victory, protecting half a million acres of Indigenous land from oil extraction. She has received multiple international awards for her work on Indigenous rights and environmental justice.



PS. This might be your first donation to our movement ever. But what a first donation! Did you know that Avaaz relies entirely on small donations from members like you? That's why we're fully independent, nimble and effective. Join the over 1 million people who've donated to make Avaaz a real force for good in the world.

More information:

1. Indigenous Waorani win landmark legal case against Ecuador government (Al Jazeera)
2. Nemonte Nenquimo on respecting the Amazon and what is owed to the planet (Time)
3. Ecuador’s president won’t give up on oil drilling in the Amazon. We plan to stop him – again (Guardian)
4. We need more than hope in a burning world (Amazon Frontlines)