The Amazonian Peoples Resources Initiative Receives A $225,000 Grant From Bill and Melinda Gates

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Michelle McKinley
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LAWRENCE, Kansas — The Amazonian Peoples Resources Initiative (APRI), a University of Kansas-based project aimed at improving reproductive health conditions in the Peruvian Amazon, today announced the receipt of a $225,000 grant from Bill and Melinda Gates. The grant supports APRI’s radio program, “Bienvenida la vida”or “Welcome to Life,” which broadcasts to more than one million people living in Peru, Columbia, Brazil and Ecuador. The program primarily targets indigenous women and teens in the vast Amazonian region by combining educational broadcasts with on-site training of local women who promote family planning, prenatal and postnatal care, and education initiatives that are designed to enhance opportunities for community development.

Produced with input from women and teens in the region, the radio program raises awareness of the importance of family planning and reproductive health. APRI also broadcasts a weekly soap opera based on characters designed by the audience, and uses humor as a tool to deal with serious women’s health issues. As radio program producer Eliana Elias said, “Health education doesn’t have to be preachy or boring. People want to improve their health but they also bring their own conceptions of healing and well being to the show. Our program respects and celebrates these values.”

“Contributions of this sort reaffirm the University’s commitment to the urgent needs of women worldwide,” said University of Kansas Chancellor, Robert Hemenway. “The University is especially appreciative of the Gates’ contributions to women’s health and their recognition of the important work conducted on this campus that helps meets these goals.”

Founded in 1995, APRI is supported by contributions from private foundations, corporations and individual donors, and works with Minga Peru, a Peruvian organization committed to community-centered approaches to improve health and sustainable development.