Emergency Help for Indigenous Arhuaco in Colombia

Please help the indigenous Arhuaco people of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Santa Marta, Colombia rebuild their community after devastation from major fires! 

This campaign is organized under the direction, supervision, and collaboration of: Eva Ackerman, Asher Lyons, Calixto Suarez Villafañe, ONAC of ICSAW, and THE PRAYER OF ACTION (Nicole Lopez, Tati Cañas, Andrés Córdoba Traditional Medical Yagesero, Gabriela Ojeda, Alvaro Santamaria, Jesús Hidalgo, Teresa Padron, Chris Orange & Asada Sanada)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The Indigenous Confederation of the Arhuaco People declared a State of Social, Economic, Environmental and Cultural Emergency due to a series of fires that began Sunday, February 24th. In addition to damage in other Arhuaco and neighboring Kogui communities, the fires consumed almost the entire village of Séynimin, including family homes and farms, the School, the Health Center, the House of Reflection, and the House of Community Gatherings, among others. 


The lands and structures that were burned held not just an economic value but a fundamental Cultural Value as well. Their traditional architecture is imperative to maintaining spiritual order within the cultural context of the Arhuaco, and the ancestral knowledge of the Four Indigenous Peoples of La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.


What's needed to recover from this magnitude of the damage is beyond the capacity of the local community who lives off the land with very minimal resources. We need your support to expedite the restoration of the conditions necessary to guarantee the villagers' rights to food, health, education, and a healthy physical and spiritual environment. 


Donating to this campaign is a small way that we can show our solidarity for our elder brothers and sisters in the high mountains whose very existence is dedicated to the well-being of humanity. Their mission is Universal Peace and Unity, and their way of life is a living example of the Original Principles and the Law of Origin.

For the benefit the Earth and all living beings, may they receive the support they need to rebuild, live on and prosper. 

                                                                                           THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

CAMPAIGN GOAL
Saturday May 18

WHERE THE MONEY WILL GO
This is what sets this campaign apart. Most relief campaigns go through organizations who, though well intended, don't always know the best or most direct way to allocate the funds because they're not directly connected to the community. Funds raised here will go directly to our dear friend and teacher Calixto Suarez Villafañe, Spiritual Ambassador of the Indigenous Peoples of The World (photo below). Calixto is a bridge worker. He has spent the last 25 years teaching on the international level, and working to raise awareness and funds for the Arhuaco community in the areas of ancestral land recovery, youth education, and elder care. His many efforts and projects have consistently produced positive results for the community at large.  Calixto and his fellow members of the Arhuaco Spiritual Leadership will distribute 100% of funds raised directly to the people who need them most, for immediate relief in the form of food, supplies, health care, and temporary lodging. Remaining funds will be allocated for all that is needed for the rebuild of village infrastructure.



ABOUT THE ARHUACO & THE FOUR ORIGINAL PEOPLES
The Arhuaco are one of the Four Original Peoples of La Sierra Nevada Mountains of Santa Marta, Colombia. For thousands of years they have lived in harmony with their sister tribes the Kogui, Wiwa and Kankuamo in remote mountain villages in Santa Marta, which is known as "The Heart of The Earth". The Four Peoples see themselves as Guardians of Mother Earth, and live in communion with the Original Principles and the Law of Origin. Their interaction with the modern world is quite recent, and as such they are often referred to as our "Elder Brothers".  Some have begun to come down the mountains to share the unique ancestral wisdom they hold, for the purpose of attaining Peace and Unity for humanity at large.

Click here to learn more: https://www.calixtosuarez.com/en/portfolio/my-goals/

This campaign is supported by the ONAC of ICSAW Native American Church, a charitable religious organization ~ Your financial contributions are tax deductible.