I am Astrid Lücke and I live in a small village in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In February 2024, I had the great fortune to spend a month with my then six-year-old son in the village of the Guayusa Runa family near Puyo, Ecuador. This time was one of the most formative and beautiful times of my life. We were welcomed with open arms and were able to share in their simple but incredibly rich life. We learnt so much about the jungle, living in harmony with nature and everyday hardships. Their generosity and knowledge touched us deeply.
Although the family has very little and sometimes just enough to live on, they share everything. They have big dreams to preserve and pass on their culture and knowledge of the plants and life in the jungle, but also to protect nature. Some of these dreams have already become reality: They have built a small village to welcome tourists, students and researchers.
With this association, I would like to help realise these dreams, make the world a little bit better and provide children and young people with a good education and training.
I am Silvia Díaz, Ecuadorian, born in Quito and I completed my mechanical engineering degree in Ecuador. I then completed a Master’s programme in Sustainable Systems in Austria, and today I work as a photovoltaic planning engineer in Berlin. My connection to Guayusa Runa began in December 2023 with my first visit.
The love I feel for the land where I was born and raised; the respect and fascination I have for nature; as well as the gratitude, affection and great friendship that have gradually grown with the community have motivated me to become part of this wonderful project.
With my experience, knowledge and desire to help, together we can contribute to the conservation of the forests in the Ecuadorian jungle, to the cleaning and maintenance of the rivers, to the improvement of living conditions in the community and, above all, to sustainable development.
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