OIOC Community advances - February 2025

We are honored to share our latest advances uniting environmental conservation with indigenous wisdom. Through community collaboration, Shanayoy Center retreats and donor support, we continue advancing the preservation of Kamentsa heritage and Amazon rainforest restoration.

This newsletter celebrates the progress in our native tree nursery, the revival of the ancestral Kamentsa language, and sustainable housing initiatives. Each achievement—from planted seedlings to preserved sacred plant wisdom—strengthens our community and ancestral lands.

Thank you for making these transformative projects possible through your continued support of indigenous reciprocity and nature conservation efforts.

Biodiversity Conservation - Green Rebirth

Our vital project "Preserve Kamentsa Yage Wisdom & Restore Amazon" continues to make significant progress in restoring ancestral lands and protecting critical biodiversity in the Amazon region. Thanks to the generous support of Global Giving donors, along with our dedicated monthly supporters Daniela and Oliver from Spain, and a special three-month commitment from Diane Johnson supporting our essential field worker Don Neftali, we have achieved remarkable milestones in our conservation efforts.

In a recent video report -bellow, our director Taita Juan Agreda shared our progress on preserving traditional ecological knowledge while restoring sacred lands. His leadership ensures that our conservation work stays deeply rooted in Kamentsa wisdom and traditional practices.

Currently, we are maintaining:

A thriving Plant Medicine Garden preserving ancestral healing knowledge
Over 300 seedlings of native trees in our reforestation area
Regular monitoring and care of planted species by our dedicated field worker Don Neftali

Since October 2024, we have planted 149 new seedlings of native species including Yarumo, Yage (our sacrament), Mayo, Motilon, Mate, Chilca, Palmito, Arrayan, Manduro, and Nacedero. We have also prepared the ground for 150 more trees for the upcoming transplanting season. This work helps restore our forest and protect endangered species but also preserves the sacred knowledge of our medicinal plants for future generations.

Your support makes this vital conservation work possible.

Join our community of monthly donors to help us expand our reforestation efforts and protect more of our ancestral medicinal plants.

report of advances in biodiversity restauration february 2025

Kamentsa Native Language Project

We are thrilled to announce the success of our language and cultural preservation program, made possible through the support of the Indigenous Reciprocity Innitiative IRI from Chacruna organization. Our achievements include:

12 active participants in Vereda El Ejido
Focus on strengthening Kamentsa language skills
Revival of ancestral weaving practices

Thanks to the IRI recent donation, OIOC will expand this pilot program to other Kamentsa villages throughout the Sibundoy Valley following our grand day Besknate. This expansion marks an important step in preserving the linguistic and cultural heritage.

Roots of Dignity Project

In partnership with our sister organization, Circle of Sacred Nature mermebership program, we continue to support community members in need. We are particularly proud to share progress on our support for Maura Carlosama, a single mother of two children who lives with epilepsy. Recent improvements to her new house include:

Installation of doors and windows
New water piping system
Electric cable installation

Maura will be able to move into her improved home next month, marking a significant improvement in her family's living conditions.

Looking Forward

These achievements demonstrate the power of our community working together and the impact of support from our partners and donors. We invite all community members to participate in our ongoing projects and welcome your ideas for future initiatives.

For more information about any of these projects or to get involved, please contact us.

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