Brazil

The Strengthening the Capacity of Indigenous Organizations in the Amazon project, or SCIOA, is increasing indigenous people's influence in the governance of the Amazon region in order to protect the region's environment and the rights of its indigenous people. As part of USAID's Human Rights Support Mechanism, the project is reducing the negative impacts of economic development, including infrastructure projects and extractive activities, on Amazon forests and water resources. Through evidence-based programming, an emphasis on learning by doing and adapted, culturally relevant capacity development tools, Pact is building the capacities of indigenous organizations to access and manage financial resources and take ownership of their own development planning and priorities in the Amazon rainforest of Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Suriname, Guyana and Ecuador.