Yachana Foundation

At the Yachana Foundation, we are dedicated to finding sustainable solutions to the challenges facing the Ecuadorian Amazon region. “Yachana” is an indigenous Kichwa word that means “a place for learning.” We work with rainforest communities to improve education, develop community-based medical care, establish sustainable agricultural practices, provide environmentally sustainable economic alternatives including micro-enterprise development and conserve the rainforest. We employ an innovative development model based on a non-profit/for-profit organizational structure. The non-profit foundation is partially supported by two for-profit companies, Yachana Lodge and Yachana Technology, to finance its fight against poverty and disease and the destruction of Ecuador’s imperiled rainforest. The profits from both companies support the Yachana Technical High School and the Yachana Foundation’s sustainable development and rainforest conservation projects, guaranteeing their long-term financial sustainability.