Guidelines and Mission Statement

Guidelines

Protection of the forest

 Living Gaia is establishing a protected area of approximately 16,000 hectares. The majority is primary forest with a rich flora and fauna. The protection of animal and plant species is going to be managed in cooperation with the local population. 

Indigenous self-determination

The approach of Living Gaia is to support projects initiated by the Huni Kuin themselves. The aim is to help create self-sufficiency, as well as economic and political power for the Huni Kuin. One important step in this process was the foundation of the women’s association Ainbu Dayá.

Women's Empowerment

Since the beginning, Living Gaia has focused on the empowerment of women. We support them in building the organizational structures they need to articulate themselves with the non-indigenous world and within their people. In all projects, women play a leading role and hold decision-making positions.

Health

Most diseases in the villages are caused by a lack of access to clean drinking water. Together with our partner organizations, we are building wells for clean drinking water in all villages in the Jordão region.

Food security

Malnutrition is a major problem in the region. By implementing agroforestry systems and animal farming, we support food diversification and protein availability.

Climate Protection

Deforestation and degradation have exacerbated the droughts in the Amazon and brought it to the edge of a "tipping point": its function as a "water pump", which supplies the whole of South America with rainfall, is at stake. The Tarayá conservation project enables the forest to "do its job". It stores around 400,000 tons of CO₂ per year. That is around 36,000 times more than a person in Germany emits per year. 

Economic independence

We support the creation of sustainable income opportunities, combining old traditions with modern approaches. From traditional weaving crafts to agroforestry products, natural cosmetics and ecotourism: we want to show the world that the forest is worth more intact than cut down.

Mission Statement

Our Vision

 

  •  We envision prosperity, auto-sufficiency, and health of the Huni Kuin people in the Jordão region of Acre, Brazilian Amazon 
  • We contribute to conservation of the forest and all its living beings 
  • We foster the preservation of the Indigenous Huni Kuin culture 
  • We strengthen the voices of Indigenous Amazonians and especially the women 

Our Values

 

  • Indigenous Protagonism: Being instruments for the Indigenous cause. Supporting Indigenous initiatives instead of imposing ideas and concepts. Help to build organizational structures to empower the Indigenous struggle. 
  • Effective resource use: A great share of the organization’s running costs is being sponsored by Coaching Spirale, a coaching institute, whose director is Living Gaia’s founder. Projects are designed for greatest possible cost-effectiveness. Thanks to our capable partners on the ground, travels between Germany and Brazil are minimized 
  • Future orientation: Our initiatives are designed to guarantee long-term independence of the Huni Kuin in all life aspects 

Fields of activity

  •  Forest conservation & climate protection 

-         Establishing a 16000ha reserve (ongoing) 
-          Community-based biodiversity monitoring (ongoing) 
-          Reforestation (ongoing) 

  • Women’s empowerment 

-          Building up structures for self-organization (ongoing) 
-          Support in marketing arts and crafts (ongoing) 
-          University Scholarships for women (planned) 
-          Leadership scholarship for female Indigenous activists (planned) 

  • Health and alimentation 

-          Wells for clean drinking water (ongoing) 
-          Agroforestry systems (ongoing) 
-          Animal farming: fish farming, poultry farming (planned) 
-          Maternity houses (planned) 

  • Education 

-          University scholarships for women (planned) 

  • Economy 

-          Marketing of arts and crafts (ongoing) 
-          Agroforestry products (planned) 
-          Cosmetics (planned) 

  • Political articulation and cultural exchange 

-          Realizing female Huni Kuin representative tours in Europe (ongoing) 
-          Supporting Huni Kuin campaigns to reach an international audience (ongoing) 

How and where we work 

  • From Germany

-         Directing resources from the global north to the south: Collecting funds and donations in Europe to                       finance projects on the ground 

-          Projects are defined and designed in close collaboration with the Huni Kuin and our local and regional                  partner organizations. 

-          Coordinating projects in close collaboration with local partners 

-          Organizing tours of Huni Kuin representatives through Europe for political articulation and cultural             exchange 

-          Campaigns to raise awareness about the realities in the Amazon 

  • On the ground/ in the forest

-          Executing and coordinating selected projects (biodiversity conservation and monitoring, women’s                          cultural center, women’s gathering, among others)

Sustainable Development Goals

With our work we contribute to the following SDGs of the United Nations

Since the start of our work in 2014, we have placed a special focus on empowering women. We have co-financed houses for three Huni Kuin women and support women from several villages in selling their craft. In 2022, we helped establish the first women's association in the region, Ainbu Dayá.

Together with a coalition of partner organizations, we are constructing wells for permanent access to clean drinking water in the Huni Kuin villages. A total of 20 wells are planned by 2025, which will supply 1800 people.

With the Tarayá conservation area, we are permanently protecting an area of 16,000 hectares from deforestation. Additional CO₂ is stored by reforesting the 800 hectares that were cleared. In total, around 400,000 tons of CO₂ per year are sequestered in the area.

 The Tarayá conservation project protects the fauna and flora of the Amazon rainforest over an area of around 16,000 hectares. Endangered species thus have a refuge for reproduction and populations are preserved in the long term.

We work closely with the Huni Kuin and our local and regional partner organizations and supporters from Europe. We also support the formation of Huni Kuin organizations.

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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


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