Living Gaia e. V.*
Founded in 2014, the Berlin-based non-profit organization Living Gaia e. V. works primarily in the Brazilian Amazon.
Its main focus is on protecting primary forest and supporting the Indigenous populations (Huni Kuin and indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation) in the Jordão region in the state of Acre, as well as the riverside dwellers who live there.
In addition, Living Gaia promotes cultural exchange between Indigenous and non-indigenous cultures and raises awareness in Europe about the challenges the Amazon region is facing.
* e. V. is the German abbreviation for “registered association”
Living Gaia's holistic approach
The challenges for people and nature in the Amazon are manifold. Together with our local partner organizations, we are working on several fronts:
Amazon rainforest conservation
With the Tarayá forest conservation project, we are protecting 160 square kilometers of primary forest in the Brazilian Amazon. It stores 400,000 tons of CO₂. The project area is a refuge for the recovery of local animal populations from deforestation and illegal hunting.
The area borders one of the last refuges for Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, thus increasing the area available to them. In addition, we are reforesting 800 hectares of degraded pastureland to create even more habitat for endangered animals and plants.
Work with Indigenous Women
Since the beginning of our work, we have focused especially on cooperation with Huni Kuin women. We promote economic independence and education.
An essential element of this is the development of local organizational structures and entrepreneurship. For example, we supported the founding of the first women's organization in the region, Aibu Dayá, in 2022 (Aibu Dayá means “women's work” in Hatxã Kuin, the indigenous language of the Huni Kuin).
Health and humanitarian support
Malnutrition and a lack of access to drinking water are the biggest causes of health problems among the Huni Kuin in the region. We provide drinking water supply systems in the villages and promote food production through fishponds, animal husbandry and agroforestry systems. We also support the villages with emergency aid in the event of floods, a growing phenomenon due to the climate crisis.
Cultural exchange
We are convinced that a profound transformation on this planet is only possible through a change in people's minds. That is why we regularly organize visits by Huni Kuin representatives to Europe to share their way of life, visions and challenges with us. In line with the call of the Brazilian National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry (ANMIGA): “We must reforest our spirit to heal the earth”.
How we work
We work closely with the Huni Kuin and our local partner NGOs. In particular, we support the initiatives launched by the Huni Kuin themselves.
In addition to our work in Acre, Living Gaia is active in Europe in the areas of fundraising, raising awareness of indigenous issues, and cultural exchange.
Living Gaia is a member of Transparency International and works with maximum efficiency in the use of its donations. Operating costs, such as office rent, hardware and software, are largely sponsored by Coaching Spirale GmbH, whose managing director, Alexandra Schwarz-Schilling, is the organization's founder and president. The organization currently has two permanent employees and two permanent volunteers.
Click here to acess the site of the Healing biotope "Living Gaia" in Chapada dos Veadeiros, Brazil.
Support our work
As a non-profit association, we depend on donations.
Your donation directly supports the projects in the Brazilian Amazon.
All donations are tax-deductible.
For a donation receipt (from €300.-) please e-mail us with the amount donated and your postal address to [email protected].
You can donate by bank transfer to our association account
Living Gaia e.V.
IBAN: DE48 4306 0967 1150 1986 00
BIC: GENODEM1GLS
or via our donation page
Become a member
You would like to become a member of Living Gaia e.V.?
That makes us happy!
With this, you make a valuable contribution to the support of the Huni Kuin and the protection of the rainforest.
The annual meeting usually takes place every year in May.
The membership fee is 100,- € per year and will be collected by SEPA direct debit at the beginning of May.
Membership application
SEPA direct debit permission
Statutes (in German)
Please print out the two-page registration form & the SEPA mandate, fill it out, sign it and mail it to:
Living Gaia e.V.
Berliner Str. 53
10713 Berlin, Germany
You will receive a confirmation immediately. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Wanna know more?
Opening hours
Monday to Friday
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Adress:
Living Gaia e.V.
Berliner Straße 53
Bezirk Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
10713 Berlin
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