Nina is a young indigenous woman leader from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon. She was raised in the Ecuadorian rainforest and since she was eight years old, she has been actively involved in local, national and global advocacy efforts in defense of indigenous rights and territories in the Amazon and for climate justice.
Nina has been representing his people at conventions across the globe. In 2011, she represented Sarayaku youth at the final hearing before the Inter-American Court on Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica where Sarayaku won their historic victory against the Ecuadorian government for violating their rights and territory for oil drilling. In 2014, she joined global calls to keep oil in the ground at the People’s Climate March and COP21. In 2015, she joined a large delegation from Sarayaku at COP21 in Paris advocating for the protection of “Living Forests” and in 2016 she joined a historic indigenous women’s march uniting indigenous women of 7 nationalities in defense of rights and territories.
Nina splits her time between Sarayaku and Sweden. She completed an indigenous fellowship at Amazon Watch where she developed the proposal of her own organization to support indigenous youth and women in Sarayaku and the Southern Ecuadorian Amazon currently threatened by new oil development. The Hakhu Amazon Design sells handmade artisanal jewelry and accessories putting agency in the hands of the women so they can teach future generations such cultural knowledge and also provide a stable income for education and family life. Nina is the mother of Tiam, which means infinite. She believes that he is a living reminder of how we need to stop bald talking and start doing real stuff.