The Keepers of the Earth Fund (KOEF) is proud to announce that in 2023 we awarded over half a million dollars in small grants to support Indigenous projects on issues related to community empowerment for land defense and autonomy; the transmission of Indigenous knowledge; traditional medicine and Indigenous spirituality; food sovereignty and Indigenous economies; and the various forms of resistance to mining for the energy transition.
By Gerard Beelt Tiwow (CS Intern)
"Na ang buhay ng batang isinilang ay maging kasing tatag at kasing tibay nga punungkahoy at kagubatn at higit salahat ay lumaki ang bata na nakaugat sa lupa." (May the child that is born grow as strong and sturdy as the tree and the forest where it grows, and be rooted to the earth.)-- Teduray Prayer
As the world celebrates World Oceans Day, we turn our attention to Barú Island, a hidden gem nestled off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. On this vibrant island, the Afro-descendant community serves as the stewards of rich mangrove ecosystems that line their coastal shores.
Cultural Survival congratulates Alessandra Korap Munduruku (Munduruku) and her community on winning the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2023 for her tireless efforts to defend her community and territory against extractive industries.
Every year on March 22, the world celebrates World Water Day, a day dedicated to promoting the importance of freshwater and raising awareness about the global water crisis. This year's theme is "Accelerating Change," which emphasizes the urgency for better water governance and management.
In 2022, The Zienzele Foundation identified the need for a communal space in the Chiware region of Zimbabwe for Shona women’s cooperatives to host their organizational meetings, health clinics, and marketing of traditional handicraft work. In collaboration with Cultural Survival’s Keepers of the Earth Fund, they have since built a community center complex near the village of Mupagamuri to serve the five surrounding villages.
In March 2021, the National Garifuna Council launched their initiative, "Food Sovereignty for the Garifuna people of Belize." The project’s mission was to create productive, small-scale green spaces to enhance food security and build community health for the Garifuna Peoples in Dangriga and the larger Stann Creek District of Southern Belize.
Cultural Survival’s Keepers of the Earth Fund grant partners, the A’i Cofán de Dureno community in Ecuador, have been mobilizing to defend their ancestral lands against oil exploitation by the national oil company Petroecuador for six months.
YIMOM is a network of Maya Tsotsil healer women who live in the community of Nuevo Corral Chꞌen el Ángel, Chiapas, Mexico, and work towards ensuring food security and food sovereignty for their communities by taking care of their soil.
By Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Koĩts-Sunuwar, CS Staff)
En el equipo del Fondo Guardianes de la Tierra (KOEF, por sus siglas en inglés) estamos felices de anunciar la lista de socios 2022, cuyos proyectos acompañamos y apoyamos en este año complejo donde el cambio climático y la crisis provocada por el coronavirus siguen estando en el centro de las preocupaciones, mientras que la defensa de los territorios Indígenas requiere cada vez de mayores esfuerzos.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
