On the 8th of March 2025, the entire Ucayali region and its districts experienced the heaviest rainfall period that it had witnessed in 15 years. The devastation occurred in the entire district of Coronel Portillo; the second largest of four provinces in the Ucayali Region in Peru, of which Pucallpa is its capital.

We would like to share a serious situation that has left many families in the central Peruvian Amazon facing significant misfortune. A few of our team members Jack and Davis are in Pucallpa these weeks and have been meeting with colleagues and artists from the Shipibo-Konibo and Iskonawa communities who are long term friends and collaborators of Xapiri Ground. They live along the outskirts of Pucallpa in the barrios of Roberto Ruiz and Nueva Era, both within 2km of the Yarinacocha lake in the most affected flood zones.

Yarinacocha is an oxbow lake located west of the Ucayali River and northwest of Pucallpa. Oxbow lakes are formed when a river cuts off a bend in its course, creating a new, straighter path and leaving behind a lake in the old bend. The Ucayali River is considered to be a main tributary of about 2,700km long and is the fifth longest tributary of the Amazon in the upper basin. Its headwaters are located approximately 6,400–6,800 km from the mouth of the Amazon River.

DONATIONS FOR THIS EMERGENCY RELIEF CAN BE MADE TO THE XAPIRI GROUND PAYPAL PORTAL.

On the 8th of March the heavy winds and rains began in the region and on the 14th of March the storms calmed but left behind in its wake tragic conditions for many whose houses are situated on or near the Ucayali river floodplain, however the water levels continue to rise. The map above shows in red dots the barrios of Nueva Era and Roberto Ruiz, these are the two areas that Jack and Davis from our team have been documenting the last four days.

The regional government of Pucallpa has provided some level of outreach and refuge to the affected people; however, there are still signs of a breach of duty and inaction, especially in the areas of disaster prevention, which remains an ongoing problem. It has greatly affected us to see the conditions in which these people are surviving, especially when staying elsewhere is not an option due to fears of theft of their belongings, which are floating in their houses that are completely exposed, all because they lack the finances to house their families elsewhere.

So between myself, Melanie, corresponding from Cusco alongside Jack and Davis who are facilitating communications and documenting what they can of the situation on the ground in Pucallpa, we were called by our friends facing this catastrophe to help communicate to our peers and public, our readers and supporters, about this very real situation they find themselves in.

On Monday March 17th, we posted some of that photography on our social media and began to talk...

Commentary from Jack Wheeler:

'We arrived in Pucallpa on the 13th March and immediately realized the extreme conditions some of our friends were experiencing and living in. A reality which is hard to witness, and one with no immediate fix. The situation is complex, with many people unable to evacuate their houses due to fear their homes would be looted of any remaining possessions they still have. The seasonal river flooding is of course a natural and yearly occurrence but by talking to the locals here, it was obvious this year was abnormally severe and thus affecting 1000’s of people in a harsh and dramatic way. Be it in the Pucallpa suburbs or in the more remote communities, many people are in survival mode, attempting to maintain their basic needs, health, work, houses and possessions.'

'Together with our Iskonawa and Shipibo friends, we decided to publish a few photos and videos from these moments here in Yarinacocha, with the hope to raise both awareness and funds to support these immediate needs. Thank you to all who have taken interest in this difficult situation thus far, for what seems to be no end in sight.'

Commentary from Félix Ochavano Rodríguez (Iskonawa Leader):

'The Iskonawa population who are settled in the city of Pucallpa-Yarinacocha and the Calleria N.C. have been affected by the rising river. This natural phenomenon had a detrimental impact, flooding their houses, crops and the areas where they obtain their food and medicinal resources, goods and services provided by their territory. Considering that many of the Iskonawa population are fishermen and artisans, the flooding affected all subsistence activities and forced them to look for other places where they can stay safe until conditions are adequate. But to sustain themselves they need food, shelter, medicine, basic services of the current need like any other citizen, for which they need a lot of support.'

We are living in very real times where the effects of big capital, human impact, and extractive industries are preying upon the environments where people are living or making a living from. The regional governments offer limited support to address the complexities of life in urbanized areas. Moreover, self-determination for Indigenous people who have moved into the marginalized zones, such as the women and their families above, is greatly challenged. And for us, it is difficult to turn a blind eye to this, especially when the degrees of separation are zero.

At Xapiri Ground we work with the Indigenous arts and communities of the Peruvian Amazon. Many of you who already know of our work know that it comes from a place of long-termism and building real relationships. We are and always will be cultural students to this work and do our best to facilitate dialogue, creative exchange and support with the different Indigenous communities, individuals, and families with whom we collaborate and interact with, some on a daily basis and others when we share physical presence. 

But since 2020, we have been noticing a considerable shift in our practice and the realities we have been facing as it relates to the Amazon and its people. That shift has asked of us to move outside of our comfort zone and address issues that otherwise are not related to the buying and selling of art, not as organized as curated exhibitions and cultural events, not as black and white as taking photographs and producing audiovisual media, and not as strategic as planning our next workshop. These issues have become directly linked to the aftermath and effects of things much bigger than us, such as cataclysmic, environmental and industrial events that seize the hopes of many people we know living amidst the communities in and around the extremely vulnerable ecosystem of the Amazon basin.

These issues have asked us to put the needs of others both near and far before ours in the exchange of support, time, resources and humanness. This has been the image reflecting back at us above the river. And it’s the same river that leads us back to an origin, where the connection of humans to nature remains balanced, where the language of a people holds the memory of ancestors, of wisdom that is surviving yet at the brink of extinction. What could this mean for us as we zoom out and reflect on our role in this confluence of culture and capitalism, in this system of inequality? Perhaps a good beginning is to move outside of what is known, to help communicate what we are not knowing, what we are not seeing, and perhaps seek new and radical ways to be active participants in this human ecological shift. 

It is our hope to solicit a call to action from you the public for what we are witnessing, on behalf of Teresa Rodriguez Campos, Leidy Panduro, Pecon Quena, their families and communities who are being affected by this massive flood, that we can come together and provide support and further awareness of their urgent situation. The rains persist and the water levels continue to rise as we speak. This is only the beginning of a long fight for them.

Please spread this word and we would be so grateful for your help in this emergency situation by way of financial donation. We accept these donations on behalf of the individuals mentioned above and will distribute them accordingly to the individuals and their families.

If more fundraising is achieved than expected, we will be working with our fellow NGO partners on the ground in Pucallpa to help facilitate aid for more families and those affected by this disaster. 

If you'd like to send us a personal message please email us at: info@xapiriground.org

DONATIONS FOR THIS EMERGENCY RELIEF CAN BE MADE TO THE XAPIRI GROUND PAYPAL PORTAL.

Thank you for your support during this challenging time!

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