Gloria Ushigua

Gloria Ushigua (she/her) is the co-founder and president of the Sápara women’s organisation Ashiñwaka, which has been defending the Sápara people’s ancestral land and environmental rights in Ecuador since their land rights were granted in 1992, due in large part to the activism of women from this organisation. The Sápara territory retains its original biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest, including oil and mineral deposits, ancient growth trees, and other “resources” desired by private and State-owned companies. Protecting the integrity of the territory Sápara call home is an ongoing battle. When Sápara territorial rights were threatened by a government plan to open oil blocks in Ecuador’s Southern Amazon, Gloria led successful efforts to keep the oil in the ground. In addition to land defense, Ashiñwaka is a safe haven for Sapara women experiencing domestic violence and sexual abuse, and has enabled women to participate in international political spaces such as UNPFII and the COP climate change negotiations. Ashiñwaka were recently awarded a prize by the Lush Foundation. Read more about this here.