Exploring Community-Led Development in the Brazilian Amazon

During our visit to Brazil in late-March, 2026, we met with universities, NGOs, and Indigenous communities to better understand education, sustainability, and community-led development in the Amazon.

We engaged with researchers from the Federal University of Amazonas and organizations working at the intersection of Indigenous education, environmental stewardship, and locally grounded innovation.

A significant part of the visit focused on building relationships with FOIRN and NADZOERI, Indigenous-led organizations representing Baniwa and Koripako communities in the Rio Içana region of the Brazilian Amazon. NADZOERI works across more than 80 communities and supports Indigenous education, territorial governance, clean energy, water access, environmental protection, and sustainable livelihoods.

We learned about their community-led education model, which integrates Indigenous knowledge, environmental stewardship, and territorial learning into the school system. Their network currently supports dozens of schools serving thousands of Indigenous students across remote Amazonian communities.

We were also introduced to community-led solar energy and water initiatives designed for remote Indigenous territories, including locally managed solar systems and low-impact water infrastructure projects.

These visits provided critical context for our work and showed strong alignment with Change for Children’s approach. Our next steps are to engage partners and communities, conduct needs assessments, assess logistics for remote access, explore pilot initiatives, and begin joint proposal discussions