In 2021, EarthAction became the sponsor of the Indigenous Solidarity Fund (ISF) whose mission is to support elders, leaders, and wisdom-keepers of indigenous groups in Colombia and the Americas in their efforts to preserve and share their cultures and traditional practices. Click here to view a video made in 2021 by ISF Project Director Jesse Stammel of an urgent message from the revered Grandfather, Wisdom Keeper, Land Protector and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Werjayo Berito Kuwaru'wa of the U'Wa people in Colombia
The U'wa people are known as ''the thinking people'' in Colombia. Berito Kuwaru'wa was chosen as Head of their High Council and international representative. He has been invited to speak in more than two dozen countries on the need to defend the natural laws of the earth and share his and the U'wa people's wisdom and mythology.
There's still time for us to recognize the critical importance of the wisdom of indigenous elders at this tumultuous moment of human history. It is our responsibility to care for this earth and to ensure that future generations can enjoy its beauty and abundance. The wisdom of the traditional elders of the Americas can guide us towards rebalancing and healing the relationship between humans and the rest of creation.
Let's choose to listen.
Update:
After nearly a year of being denied treatment, Berito Kuwaru'wa was admitted to the Somer clinic in Rio Negro, Antioquia, Colombia and operated on. He is currently recovering in the clinic, where he will remain until he is fully recovered and able to return to his home in U'Wa territory.
Upon his return, the ISF will continue to provide funds for additional medical care and medications, monitor his health, and support his ongoing efforts to recover and grow the U'Wa people's ancestral seeds and crops.
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