Zoe Helene and Shipibo Children Pucallpa, Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Chris Kilham

Zoe Helene with Shipibo Children, NBC Amazon Expedition

Zoe Helene with a group of Shipibo Children, outside of Pucallpa in the Peruvian Amazon. Traveling NBC Nightly News TV crew for Medicine Hunter TV segment shoot.

Traveling with an NBC Nightly News TV crew, Chris and Zoe stayed in Pucallpa, a Shipibo river village in the Peruvian Amazon devastated by deforestation. Zoe and the children of the village spent a lot of time together. Zoe enjoyed painting their sweet faces, and learned each child's name. There were many children, and they had no school. In this photo, Zoe sits on a bench going over a list of items in support of the women's stunning textiles. Instantly she is surrounded by sweet, friendly children.

The Shipibo people named Zoe “Kata” (“Little Bear”) after the Spectacled Bear, a small masked black bear native to the rainforests of the region.