Film

Yaku Churi – Meaning “children of the river” (in Kichwa), is a free kayak school for Kichwa Indigenous youth from the banks of the Upper Rio Napo, also known as the Jatunyacu (Big Water). Focused on children ages 8 – 12, our program aims to provide an academy to train in whitewater kayaking, raft guiding, sustainable carpentry, and conservation in an embodied after school program.

In whitewater kayaking Ecuador is known as a paradise and not just for foreigners. Generations of Ecuadorians like Diego Robles have found their life’s passion in paddling and guiding the rivers in their backyard. But a few months after Diego found his favorite river, he found excavators in the river to build a dam and diversion that would dry up the Rio Pusuno. But this isn’t about whitewater kayaking, and the story thickens when he meets the community that calls the river home.