Programs
Working with Spirit to increase the light...

The Ayahuasca Foundation is producing so many wonderful ideas, but we are also supporting projects that have already begun by like-minded visionaries. The Foundation hopes to provide funding for more and more locally founded projects, for our dream is to return to a more self sufficient way of life where we respect our ancestors and all of our spirit brothers and sisters. You can help the projects by donating to the Foundation, or by volunteering to work down here in Iquitos, providing assistance to the curanderos while learning about plant spirit medicine.

Healing Retreats
These memorable retreats are a chance to be treated by a true curandero. The afflictions usually treatable in two to three weeks are depression, spiritual afflictions such as bad air, or witchcraft, or to help you understand your life and realize your destiny. While more serious afflictions often require more time, which can be easily arranged, what the Healing Retreats offer is the chance to turn the corner on whatever obstacle is in your way, so that you can continue on your path. Once you've changed your direction, it merely takes following the new path to reach your destination. It is a very educational and healthy experience for anyone.

Community Outreach
This is such a great project. Unfortunately, due to Western influence, many local jungle communities have lost their knowledge of plant medicine. With pharmaceuticals in every store throughout the amazon, and with little or no written knowledge, in just two generations, many communities find themselves dependent upon expensive chemicals rather than the plethora of natural plant medicines in their own back yards, simply due to ignorance. The Ayahuasca Foundation seeks to reeducate these communities, to remind them of how they used to live for millenia.
THE AUTONOMY PROJECT
Curanderos and curanderas will visit these communities to teach them about medicinal plants, to assist the locals in planting a communal medicine garden, and to provide the tools to make the medicinal remedies from their harvests. A female curandera will teach the women in the community about food preparation, proper diet, and the various method of preparation of the medicinal plants, while a male curandero will teach the men about tending the garden, rotation of crops and times and techniques for harvesting. Gardens will include food plants as well as medicinal plants. The Foundation hopes to gain government support to help purchase land for the these community gardens.

Ayahuasca Museum
The Ayahuasca Museum, which will also have an online presence, but will actually be located in Iquitos, Peru, will display the wisdom that the foundation is preserving, as well as the findings of the research projects. Visitors will have the chance to learn about the history of the medicine, the biology and chemistry of the plants and the effect of the medicine, how the medicine is prepared and used in ceremony, and what people's personal experiences have been with the sacred brew, ayahuasca.
The interactive displays in the Ayahuasca Museum will educate many tourists unfamiliar with ayahuasca about curanderismo and spirit healing, and will help to spread the wisdom of the ancient cultures of the Amazon. The highlight of the museum will be the simulated ceremony space, a maloka kept dark as if at night, with audio and video enhanced atmosphere to give the visitor the impression that he or she has just entered an ayahuasca ceremony.

Ayahuasca Cafe
Inside the Ayahuasca Museum will be the Ayahuasca Cafe, serving delicious fruit and medicinal plant juices, as well as a small menu of healthy snacks. Guests will also choose from a special 'dieta' menu, listed by curandero. Should a guest be following a special diet prescribed by his or her teacher, they will be able to find the exact diet at the Ayahuasca Cafe. An evergrowing collection of nutritional information regarding ayahuasca and natural medicine will also be kept in the Cafe Library, along with a plethora of ayahuasca related literature. The Cafe will sell souvenirs from the Museum as well, like ayahuasca jewelry, clothing, books, CDs, and DVDs, to help support the Foundation.

Volunteer Opportunities
From working with animals, to working with children, to working with plants in various settings, there are more and more volunteer opportunities in Iquitos. Many of the Volunteer Programs require payment, but the Foundation hopes to offer a true volunteer opportunity in the near future. Check the website for new updates on future openings or programs.