Empowering Indigenous Communities Worldwide
current PROJECTS
SASSAUMUN–GOWISEN YOUTH INITIATIVE
This initiative is a central focus of our current work, supporting a community-led model that strengthens food self-sufficiency, cultural continuity, and pathways toward financial autonomy. Led from within the community, the project engages Indigenous youth, elder women, and families in the development of sustainable agricultural practices, local resource management, and knowledge transmission rooted in the Law of Origin.
As of March 2025, food self-sufficiency has been successfully established, providing a stable and regenerative foundation for the community. This milestone has been achieved through the expansion of organic agriculture, supported by a locally implemented model of reciprocal exchange—shared and guided by the Managing Director of the Foundation—which enabled the community to access resources, knowledge, and collaboration without reliance on traditional funding structures.
The project is now advancing into a second phase focused on financial autonomy, supported through continued reciprocal systems of exchange and collaboration with local institutions. This includes partnerships with Colombian educational organizations offering training in organic agriculture, the implementation of a dual-model approach to education for younger generations, and the continued academic and leadership development of the community’s lead representative.
The initiative reflects a practical and evolving framework that integrates ancestral knowledge with modern tools and education. It is currently progressing toward a mature and replicable model, with projected consolidation by mid to late 2027.
SASSAUMUN–GOWISEN PROJECT
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The Sassaumun Community was established in 2018 in Cundinamarca, Colombia.
This Reservation is composed of a Wiwa community that originally came from the Kogui Malayo and Arhuaco Reservation in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
They established themselves initially in the Municipality of Fuqueme and in 2021 they moved to its current new property in the Municipality of Medina Cundinamarca, Los Alpes.