We are fundraising for a prosthetic leg for a spiritual leader of the indigenous Wiwa people from the Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta in Colombia. Rodrigo lost his leg in a tragic accident as a child due to the violence in Colombia of the 90's. During the 90's much of the violence in Colombia had made its way up into the mountains, making the home of the Wiwa a battle zone. Unfortunately Rodrigo was one of the many who suffered severely from this time of war, just a child who stumbled into a zone of the mountain rigged with explosives.  Rodrigo is not only a leader of his people in spiritual practices, but also a leader in education as a school teacher, teaching young Wiwa children Spanish and music. He pioneered the creation of  a Damana ( Wiwa dialect) - Spanish school in his community due to feeling the necessity of his people learning Spanish, the language of the Colombian government. Rodrigo felt learning Spanish was crucial so the community could communicate and have their needs and voices heard by the politicians of Colombia.  Despite the physical difficulty of losing a leg, Rodrigo has continued strong maintaining his responsibilities and thriving as a community leader. He literally hikes through the backcountry of the Sierra  with crutches in order to teach his class. He also has long treks throughout the Sierra Nevada, the tallest coastal mountain on the planet, which can be very strenuous through uncharted land, all with the purpose of fulfilling his spiritual commitments. Our goal in raising the money for this prosthetic is to facilitate the job of an incredible human that already does so much for his people and the world, and what we can provide for him is a way to make his responsibilities easier with less physical strain. Above it all Rodrigo continues his work as a role model for not only his community but the world as he just finished speaking at a few events in the United States, where he and other elders where invited to share how their spiritual lifestyles are key in the balance of their communities with mother nature. So please join us in supporting an inspirational leader in his journey to walk once again on two legs as he continues to share his love and wisdom with the world. 

En Español:
Estamos recaudando fondos para comprarle una pierna prostetica al líder espiritual de la tribu Wiwa de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta en Colombia -Mamo Rodrigo. Mamo Rodrigo perdio la pierna en un tragico accidente cuando era niño como resultado de la violencia en Colombia de los años 90. Durante ese periodo la violencia en Colombia habia llegado a la parte alta de las montañas y habia convertido el territorio Wiwa en un campo de batalla. Desafortunadamente Mamo Rodrigo fue una de las victimas que fue gravemente afectada durante este tiempo de violencia, siendo solo un niño entro sin saberlo en un terreno minado. Mamo Rodrigo no es solamente un lider espiritual de su pueblo, sino que a la vez es un lider en su comunidad en el ejercicio de sus funciones como profesor de Castellano y Musica de los niños Wiwas. El ha sido un pionero en la creacion de una escuela del dialecto Damana -Castellano para satisfacer la necesidad existente en su comunidad de aprender la lengua castellana debido a ser el Castellano el idioma oficial de Colombia.  Mamo Rodrigo sabia que aprender el Castellano era vital para que su pueblo tuviera voz propia frente al gobierno y a los dirigentes políticos del pais. A pesar de las dificultades a nivel fisico que representa la perdida de una pierna, él se ha mantenido firme en el cumplimiento de sus responsabilidades como educador y como líder de su comunidad. A diario Mamo Rodrigo enfrenta el reto de caminar con sus muletas en el terreno desigual de la Sierra para llegar a la escuela donde le enseña a los niños de su comunidad. De la misma manera el anda de muletas por las trillas y caminos tortuosos de la Sierra Nevada con el propósito de cumplir con los compromisos relacionados con su rol como líder espiritual. Nuestra meta es recaudar fondos para cubrir los costos de su pierna prostetica y de esta manera facilitarle el trabajo a este ser humano ejemplar quien ha contribuido enormente a su comunidad y al mundo por extension. Por encima de todo Mamo Rodrigo continúa su labor como un miembro ejemplar no solamente para su pueblo sino a nivel global ya que recientemente fue uno de los expositores junto a otros representantes indígenas de la Sierra en algunos eventos en los Estados Unidos donde compartieron su filosofía de vida y el impacto positivo que este tiene en la interacción equilibrada entre sus comunidades y la Madre Naturaleza. Te invitamos a unirte a nuestros esfuerzos para que este líder comunitario continúe su jornada caminando una vez más haciendo uso de sus dos piernas. Y asi poder continuar diseminando amor y sabiduria por el mundo.

*A little about myself, the organizer. My name is Orlando Villarraga, I am of Colombian and Teyuna heritage. I have been working as an interpreter for the Teyuna tribes, which include the Wiwa, for the last year and a half. I work with the Teyuna Foundation and our goal is to best be of support and facilitate the mission of the Teyuna which is to bring spiritual and environmental balance to the world. Rodrigo and I, along with a few others just finished a 2 month tour of the United States in which our goal was to bring this message and link worlds. Along our trip we met someone who inspired us to begin this project for Mamo Rodrigo's prosthetic and thus we embarked on this journey. We have began the procedure for the prosthetic and given the deposit to the doctor, will post videos of progress as Rodrigo sends them to me. The money raised will all be used to pay the doctors fees for materials, service, and physical therapy. We have already sent what he have raised by Western Union directly to Rodrigo and once we raise the rest we will send him that as well through Western Union. 



Keep up with our nonprofit on the many projects we are working on with the Teyuna communities