Indigenous-Led Conservation and Cultural Revitalization in the Colombian Amazon

The Organization for Indigenous Outreach and Conservation (OIOC) works with the Kamëntsá nation to protect forests, strengthen language, and uphold the wisdom of our ancestors

Who We are

OIOC is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to protecting the Kamëntsá people’s ancestral knowledge, language, and territories. Through endangered language revitalization, Amazon conservation, and community-based education, we are building resilience for future generations.

Our Vision & Mission

OIOC is led by the Kamëntsá nation of the Sibundoy Valley, in the Colombian Amazon.

Our vision is a living future where the Kamëntsá people — and all Indigenous nations — sustain their languages, lands, and lifeways in balance with the natural world.

Our mission is to strengthen Kamëntsá cultural and ecological sovereignty through Indigenous-led education, forest conservation, and community development.

Guided by our elders and rooted in reciprocity, we work to protect the forest, revitalize our ancestral language, and ensure that traditional knowledge continues to guide our generations to come.

Who we are

Our vision

Our Programs

Change in Action

Kamëntsá Language Revitalization Program

Reclaiming and teaching the Kamëntsá language through community-led learning.

Amazon Conservation Through Indigenous Leadership

Protecting the land that protects us — through Indigenous-led restoration and stewardship.

Hummingbird Beadwork by Kamëntsá Women

Supporting Kamëntsá women artisans to preserve cultural traditions and strengthen community livelihoods.

Indigenous-Led Science

Bridging ancestral knowledge and modern research for a balanced future.

Roots of Dignity: Kamentsa Housing Support Program

Building homes and restoring dignity for Kamëntsá families.

Why this
Matters

For countless generations, the Kamëntsá people have cared for the Amazon and upheld a relationship of reciprocity with the living forest.

Yet across the world, Indigenous nations face erasure—of lands, languages, and ancestral knowledge—through colonization, extraction, and the pressures of a changing climate. The disappearance of these cultures is not only a human tragedy; it threatens the balance of the Earth itself.

OIOC stands in this moment of global urgency to protect what endures: the sacred connection between people and place. We work to safeguard Kamëntsá lands, revitalize our language, and ensure that Indigenous wisdom continues to guide a living future for all.

Read Our Story