Blumenthal, January 2024
Dear friends of the Yanomami,
in spite of all the horrible news in the Ukraine and Gaza we have some good news of the Yanomami territory.
Every day! Rain rain rain …
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the newly elected president of Brazil, kept at least his election promises towards the Yanomami. All gold diggers were being expelled from Yanomami territory by the police and military. I’ll fallen and undernourished children were being treated in the hospital of Boa Vista. Hopefully the region will be protected furthermore by the government and military. Lula emphasized the fight for the natives was a fight for human rights as well as nature conservation.
Last year 2023 I was in the Amazonian region from January until the end of March and visited the Yanomami at the Rio Marauia. They’d asked me by letter for a school in the village of Bisho Açu.
Already at my arrival in Rio it was raining very heavy which was very unusual at this time of the year. In São Paulo and the Northeast of Brazil they had huge floods. I was hoping for better weather in Manaus and the jungle. But due to climate change and El Niño no such luck. It was a pouring every day.
Guilherme saws boards from a tree trunk
By canoe I went from Santa Isabel to Rio Negro along the jungle river Marauia to the Yanomami village of Bisho Açu. After my arrival we had a gathering lasting several hours. We agreed – due to the neverending rain – to postpone the building of the school. Chief Daniel and nurse Nazaré asked me if I could repair the old makeshift hospital in the village. Due to the derelict piping there was hardly any running water in this station. The old roof was leaking and the kitchen stove defective.
Guilherme, a good old Brazilian lumberjack, volunteered to join in the works. He was one of the workers already 26 years ago building another station in Ixima. Now he was being supported by 3 young Yanomamis from Bisho Açu.
These were the works that were completed: New beams and boards for the roof being sawed, a 500 l watertank installed on a high stand or frame and connected to the house with guttering and pipes. The roof of the bath was completely renewed and last but not least the old rusty stove replaced by a new one.
Successful renovation of our hospital ward
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- Four rapids have to be overcome up to the Yanomami villages
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- The bathroom in the infirmary is being re-roofed
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- Nurse Nazaré is grateful for the quick renovation
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- Microscopist Rui is happy about the running water in the infirmary
Successful renovation of our hospital ward
We performed a lot of small works with amazing results and were enjoying it all the way. In the bathroom the flashing of the WC worked again as well as the shower under the rain proof roof!
All sinks in the kitchen and lab had running water again which was a considerable relief with the work in the hospital. Particularly happy with all the improvement were especially the nurse Nazaré and the micropist Ruí. In appreciation of it Nazaré even baked a cake in the new oven!
After the repair works in Bisho Açu I visited several Yanomami villages upstream. In the mission of Marania a meeting of the Yanomami of all surrounding villages took place. More then 200 Yanomami were present: the main topic was the insufficient medical situation in their villages. They had invited 3 officials from the Brazilian Health Department and handed over a signed Petition for the Health Ministry. It was agreed upon further meetings and talks.
Yanomami look at our annual report
On 2 more days the Yanomami were discussing their school education. Most of them preferred schools with Yanomami teachers in their own language as well as Brazilian. They represent the schooling mode „educação diferenciada“. This is a method directed at the particular needs of the Yanomami. There is already one school in Pukima Cachoeira with Yanomami teachers teaching the village children.
David Yanomami tells the story of his mother Yarima, which I translate into Portuguese
At the meeting in Meranía I met David, son of Yanima Yanomami and Kenneth Govl, an American Ethnologue. They had met during studies in Yanomami region in Venezuela and he took her back to America. After only 3 years Yarima returned into her village and had to leave her children David and 2 more kids behind. Many years later David, the youngest of the 3, went out to find his mother in the jungle in her small village
In Marauia he told the story of himself and his mother with pictures on a laptop. I translated his emotional stories to an apparently quite touched audience. Ever since his reunion with his mother he is putting all his efforts towards the needs of the Yanomami i.e. he spent an outboarder for transports on Rio Marauia.
Mauricio, our nurse in Ixima, receives a new battery
Upstream I visited our health station, the one we built 26 (!) years ago. It was in perfect condition. The only replacements were new batteries for the microscope and radio set.
The Yanomami nurse Mauricio was in charge of that. During last year the Brazilians Daniel and Thiago built a small school in the Yanomami village of Raita. I was enthusiastic about it’s simple but very solid construction.
Chief Daniel was instructed by Brazilian government to build more schools on Yanomami territory following our example. I hope it‘ll work because it would be absolutely great!
The model school in Raiter
Chiquinho gets a radio for his village
I handed over a brand new icon radio set to chief Chiquinho from Thomorperwein. He was very pleased since it means a large improvement in the security of his village.
On my way back to Manaus I took two defective radio sets with me. They were being repaired in the work shop of Mandrek „El Magico“.
Due to the climate change it’s impossible to risk any secure planning so I was already happy to be able to repair the health station in Bisho Açu and supply some solar batteries and the valuable radio set.
Lectures in Germany
Last year I gave many lectures in Germany at schools and for organizations. Many students organized fundraisers for the Yanomami after the lectures.
Klasse 5d des Gymnasiums Kronshagen
Klasse 5c der Alexander von Humboldt Schule
Klasse 7d der Meldorfer Gelehrtenschule
Klasse 6c der Johann-Heinrich-Voß Schule Eutin
Klasse 7a der Integrierte Gesamtschule in Buchholz Grundschule Seekrug
Solidaritätsmarsch der Maria Ward Schule Altötting
Kuchenverkauf der Schüler vom Schulzentrum Lohne
Interested girls in the Voss-Gymnasium in Eutin after the lecture
The new project:
Klimawandel – Dürrekatastrophe im Amazonasgebiet
I‘ll be off to Yanomami territory around February 10th 2024. In the meantime I heard that the new school in Bisho Açu already has been realized by the Brazilian government. I’m very pleased indeed!
Due to the drought in the Amazonas region I had to delay my journey for about a month and I only hope the jungle rivers will have enough water to ship whatever materials, tools and timber we need.
A model for the next hospital ward
As far as possible I‘d like to prepare in the coming weeks the building of the model health station.
Dear friends of Yanomami-Hilfe e.V.
Without your financial support I wouldn’t be able to achieve much locally. Building materials, tools, roofing materials, walkie-talkies, solar panels, batteries, etc. all cost money. I would like to thank all members of our Yanomami Hilfe e.V. as well as all individual donors, supporters, foundations, companies and organizations.
Individual donors and supporters of my work
Dr. Elisabeth Albert, Debora Bendocchi Alves, Kerstin Bensch, Kathrin Beutin, Christine Bischoff, Dr. Andrea Bräuning, Petra Bonin, Rudolf Brunner, Christina Chang-Rudolf, Andree Drees, Andrea Fischer-Bickert und Stefan Bickert, Ferdinand Guttenberg, Angelika Heinsen, Veronica Huber, Jonas Jasse, Hans Hinrich Kahrs, Monika Kienass, Jean Kleeb, Henning Köhlert, Christhard Kotte, Dagmar und Bodo Kuhnhenn, Franziska Vilas Boas Lessa, Elfi und Volker Lindner, Julia Melzner, David Muchau, Michael und Marianne Müller, Markus Pfeifer, Marie-Henriette Pfeifle, Eva Piest, Ricarda Quick, Ute Rafflenbeul-Dormeyer, Heidi und Manfred Schwinge, Giesela Schmieder, Gela Weyer, Jasmin Seddigh-Raig und Dr. Wolfgang Raig, Ottilie Steinberger, Claudia und Ulrich Wandt, Desireé Woinowski-Guggenmoos, Familie Weber, Wolfgang Zierke, Beate Ziethen.
Foundations, companies, organizations
Chor Vozes do Brasil, Lucia Kaup
Eine Welt Kreis aus Mehring
Jugend-und Kulturzentrum aus Bruneck, Südtirol Lebensraum Regenwald e.V. von Roland Zeh
L+S Landschaft + Siedlung AG
Lionsclub Heidelberg
Midas GmbH aus Ingelheim „Run for Charity“ Oswald-Stiftung aus Pfarrkirchen
Sonnenwasser e.V. von Fritz Strohecker aus Strande
Thorsten Görgens GmbH aus Köln
Wortwechsel Verlag von Ulrike Steffen
Yanomami-Chor aus Rhynern
The Yanomami attach great importance to their traditional appearance at gatherings and festivals
And finally:
In my last annual report I mentioned the possible need of a successor. No one has applied so far and it might not be necessary any more. I’m trying to guide the Yanomami to more independent planning and building further projects. On the long run they need to take their destiny into their own hands which is their intention anyway.
Sustainability is only help to self help. We can support them from Germany.
I would like to thank you very much for your interest and loyal support. All the best in the New Year and best wishes shortly before departure
For the Yanomami children, L is the symbol for President Lula, with whom they associate hope.
Thank you for your continued support
Yanomami-Hilfe e.V., Hökerberg 1, 24241 Blumenthal, Telefon 0 43 47 – 70 81 34
E-Mail: office[at]yanomami-hilfe.de, Internet: www.yanomami-hilfe.de
Sparkasse Mittelholstein, IBAN DE 08 2145 0000 0003 3882 28
