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| ACT Suriname Director Gwendolyn Emanuels-Smith speaks with Amashina, a member of the Trios in Suriname. |
Our Capacity
Our U.S. headquarters office of 14 staff members provides support to administrative and field staff in three countries numbering over 50. Among these country program staff are trained conservationists, cartographers, anthropologists, and healthcare specialists who work directly with indigenous partners in the field. However, ACT sees its true capacity advantage as one of great leverage. On one level, we train indigenous groups to effectively monitor their vast traditional lands and to work with governmental agencies to increase the protection of those lands, using ethnographic maps and ethno-environmental surveys as the basis for conservation plans. On another, we "train the trainers," building the capacity of indigenous leaders and representatives to transmit western technical knowledge gained to their fellow community members. ACT's long experience in direct collaboration with native peoples of Amazonia makes us a sought-after partner for consortiums lacking methodologies for proper and lasting alliances with indigenous peoples.
