Are solar panels making Canelos' vision a reality?

But now a smattering of solar panels across 12 villages in a couple of Ecuador’s deeply forested eastern provinces are making Canelos’s vision materialize. Every morning, before dawn, his people pass around a bowl of wayusa, a traditional drink made from a local plant that helps bring their dreams into focus.

Where are the poorest people in Ecuador?

The province of Pastaza, where Kapawi sits, is one of the poorest in Ecuador, with more than 60 percent of its residents living on less than $3 per day. But last year, armed with drills and cables, a cadre of Achuar technicians hooked up the school to solar panels donated by Kara Solar.

How do solar boats work in Achuar?

Loaded with panels on their roofs, four boats now circulate across 12 Achuar communities near the border with Peru. Kara Solar, a nonprofit organization that promotes solar energy in this region, gave local residents the boats, which they are in charge of building, fixing and running.

Where can I find a virtual workshop based on solar power?

Canelos has given virtual and face-to-face workshops in Peru, Brazil and Suriname. At the Kapawi Ecolodge, where electricity comes from solar panels, a passerby checks his cellphone while Josué Tsentsak works on his internet-connected computer.

Can solar panels help recharge wampi's Electric Boat?

Pablo Semo, an electrical technician trainee, looks at some of the panels that make up the Wichimi solar farm and help recharge the electric boat Wampi. For generations, young men farmed the land, built huts or left their village to find work outside the jungle. Now solar panels are opening up other options.