A year before the COP22 climate negotiations in Marrakech, a group of Indigenous women from across Latin America united through the Caksi Warmi network, which means “women messengers” in Kichwa. Ivonne Ramos, coordinator of Acción Ecológica (Ecuador), explains how the women brought stories about climate change and natural resource extraction to the United Nations, proposing an alternative development model that respects their lives and communities. For example, Gladys Panchi, Emberá of Colombia, is resisting mineral extraction on her community’s lands, while Martha Cecilia Ventura, Maya K’iche’ of Guatemala, promotes cultural resilience by preserving Indigenous medical systems. Cecilia Flores, Aymara of Chile, and Blanca Chancosa, Kichwa of Ecuador and the vice-president of Ecuarunari, join the chorus call as messengers for a just, sustainable future. Photo credit: Binod Parajuli
