Today we are launching an urgent appeal for the Indigenous Asháninka and other local communities of the Ene River, which burst its banks over the weekend following unprecedented rains, leaving hundreds of families in desperate need of food, water and shelter. 

Satellite analysis shows that more 5,000 hectares has been flooded, leaving around 300 families reeling in the aftermath; they've lost everything they worked so hard to build - their homes, their belongings, their livelihoods. The floods have decimated the very crops these families rely on. Hundreds of hectares of cocoa, painstakingly nurtured as part of our project, are now ruined. The trees will begin to rot and the fruit will spoil. Yucca and banana crops, which are often the only source of food for these families, have suffered a similar fate. 

The Asháninka people, resilient as they are, now find themselves without the most basic necessities of life – water, food, and blankets. Thanks to a swift operation coordinated by our partner CARE and the military, many were rescued and some supplies are getting in by military helicopter. Yet, it's not enough. The most urgent need is to provide food and drink as quickly as possible. 

Just £8 will provide a family with the water they desperately need.

£29 will purchase blankets for a family, keeping them warm and safe from illness.

£50 will buy mattresses for a family who have been left with nothing.

Such extreme weather events are made much more likely by global warming and typically have greatest impact on those least responsible for the climate crisis such as riverine communities. In recent weeks, the Congo River burst its banks following the worst floods there in more than 60 years, killing hundreds of people and displacing thousands, including in community forests that RFUK and our partners’ support. Local governments and the international development community are grossly ill-prepared to respond to such crises despite the establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund at COP28 to aid developing countries vulnerable to climate change impacts to respond to economic and non-economic loss and damage. 

The road to recovery for the Ashaninka and other communities will be long and arduous. With your support, we can help these communities rebuild their lives and restore their livelihoods. Please, join us in extending compassion and solidarity to those in desperate need. Your donation, no matter how small, can make a world of difference. 100% of the donations will go directly to the relief effort.