The Amazon University Program (PUAM) began in 2022 but found its roots in the Amazon Synod (2019) when it was decided to create an "Amazon Catholic University based on interdisciplinary research (including field studies), inculturation, and intercultural dialogue."
PUAM's educational proposal stands out with its unique approach, which is based on a pedagogy that listens and learns from and with people as the true protagonists of history. This multidisciplinary and intercultural education is not just a tool but is in place to strengthen the struggles and processes to defend the territory and the lives of those who inhabit it, to preserve their future and right to exist.
Academic programs include virtual and in-person education models, as well as support for offline tools (for places with or without Internet access). Programs of Study include Human Rights, Amazon Health, and Ecotourism.
In its inaugural year, the project has made significant advances, including the establishment of Community Learning Centers (CCAs). These CCAs are territorial hubs of higher education, offering educational services to the diverse territorial realities of the Panamanian region.
PUAM has been proactive in establishing agreements and alliances with several universities and public, academic, indigenous, and church organizations in five Amazonian countries. These partnerships ensure that educational cycles are appropriately accredited while showcasing a collaborative approach.
In turn, PUAM has challenged itself to establish a technical and technological training proposal, a short-cycle tertiary education, to strengthen students’ professional profiles.
The project stems from the Church’s extensive missionary journey in the Amazon territory. Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes (deceased in July 2022) was among the driving forces. His Eminence was a key figure throughout this territory’s synodal and missionary process. PUAM has an Academic Chair dedicated to his memory.
For more information: https://puamazonico.org/
Cardinal Pedro Barreto and Mauricio López are members of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development (DPIHD).