Restore Katansama's Women's House and Healing Garden
Donation protected
From ashes to bloom: Restore, Replant
Fundraising on behalf of Fundacion Wirakoku
Three weeks ago, we celebrated the realization of a long-standing dream: a women-led house was nearly completed—a space built by and for Arhuaco women, where they could gather, rest, garden, and pass on traditional medicine knowledge. The house is led by Fundación Wirakoku, founded by my friend Lucelly, along with her mother Maria del Carmen, her daughter Gaby, her sister Letty, and other women from the Katansama community.
Katansama is nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, near where I grew up. La Sierra is sacred land, and Katansama was returned to the Arhuaco Indigenous community only 14 years ago since the Spanish colonization.
Perched at the entrance of the community, the house was designed as a refuge, a hub for biodiversity, healing, and intergenerational wisdom. The garden surrounding the house was planted with medicinal herbs. An effort to preserve tradition and supporting women’s role as caretakers of land and medicine who build a future rooted in care, ecology, and identity.
Then, two days ago, tragedy struck. The house was intentionally set on fire by unknown individuals. While no one was hurt and the strong foundations remain, much of the structure and the garden were destroyed.
The pain was deep—especially for Lucelly, who watched her dream and hard work nearly turn to ashes. Yet the women stand united. Their love for the space, their pride in what has been created, and their commitment to its future is admirable. The house is more than just walls—it is a symbol of resilience, unity, and clarity of purpose.
The original funds to build the house, generously donated, have been carefully managed, and some remained for continued research. We are now reallocating those funds toward the reconstruction effort. To keep our long-term goals alive—including plant documentation, and a second medicinal garden that was yet to be planted—we are raising $3,500 USD to replenish the funds lost in the fire.
We always respond to violence with beauty.
Thank you for gardening with us!
You can see the full account of the fire event here:
Duní (Thank you in Iku, Arhuaco language).
Organizer
Juliana Zarate
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA