Before discovering the non-indigenous culture, we, the Surui people lived peacefully and free from disease. That was in 1968.
Nowadays diseases such as diabetes, fever and malaria are already beginning to affect us, after contacting non-indigenous people. Concerned with this, a young man named Narayamat Surui thought of creating the Olawatawah Medicine Centre in 2015.
That very year, the Centre was built.
With the help of partners and with the resources that we managed to put together, we built malocas and accommodations.
We receive tourists and students from schools.
And so, we are using our medicinal plants more and more on children, young people and adults.
We are often badly treated in hospitals. And so we are relying more on our culture and medicinal plants.
Our plants really heal and protect our bodies.
Our objective is to create a hospital here in our own village in the future.
We are young indigenous people; warriors and we are going to make a better standard of living for our people.
We are struggling for the well-being of our community and for all indigenous peoples.
In addition to medicinal plants, the Olawatawah Centre is planting 10,000 fruit trees (chestnut, cashew, açaí) and hardwood plants, like mahogany, among others
In the future we will reap what we have sown!!