Fundación Raíz Ecuador builds resilient communities through its CAEMBA and Indigenous Peoples programs, promoting environmental conservation, indigenous rights strengthening, intercultural education, and disaster response support with indigenous nationalities and communities in Ecuador's Amazon basin and highland and coastal regions. The organization works to improve quality of life for vulnerable groups through education and sports promotion, bamboo house and community infrastructure construction, and cultural identity and environmental preservation.
Raiz Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting indigenous communities and disadvantaged populations in Ecuador and Peru. With its sister organization, Fundación Raiz Ecuador, and partnerships with indigenous organizations, the foundation advances sustainable development initiatives that prioritize community building and environmental responsibility. The organization's innovative CAEMBA project project builds shelters, homes, schools and community centers using bamboo as the primary material.
Project story
Living Clay: Siekopaai Women and Palm Guardians Restoring Water and Amazon Forests
We are the women of the Keñao Association from the Siekoya Remolino community in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Our people, the Siekopaai Nation, have chosen to conserve more than 21,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest because we understand that our forest, water, and culture are deeply interconnected.
Six years ago, we organized ourselves to revive ancestral Siekopaai pottery, a tradition passed down by our grandmothers. Through pottery, we have strengthened our cultural identity, created spaces for intergenerational learning, and developed community-based initiatives rooted in the sustainable use of forest resources, including the production of juices and fruit pulp from native palm species.
Today, we are ready to take the next step. Our goal is to restore streams, wetlands, and clay harvesting sites that provide the raw material for our pottery. We also aim to plant native palms and fruit trees, establish a community nursery, strengthen Indigenous education in our schools, and create spaces where youth, women, elders, and community members can share knowledge, promote community well-being, and deepen their connection with nature.
Funding will support ecological restoration activities, native plant production, educational materials, community workshops, and the strengthening of the Women’s House, where we carry out pottery-making, fruit processing, and training for our “Palm Guardians” — young people who learn traditional techniques for harvesting forest fruits without cutting down trees.
Our challenge is to protect our culture and territory while facing the rapid changes affecting the Amazon. We believe that safeguarding water, forests, and ancestral knowledge is essential to building a healthier future for our communities and for the planet.
Project updates
Team
Living clay: Siekoya women reviving forests and traditions
Fundación Raíz Ecuador builds resilient communities through its CAEMBA and Indigenous Peoples programs, promoting environmental conservation, indigenous rights strengthening, intercultural education, and disaster response support with indigenous nationalities and communities in Ecuador's Amazon basin and highland and coastal regions. The organization works to improve quality of life for vulnerable groups through education and sports promotion, bamboo house and community infrastructure construction, and cultural identity and environmental preservation.
Raiz Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting indigenous communities and disadvantaged populations in Ecuador and Peru. With its sister organization, Fundación Raiz Ecuador, and partnerships with indigenous organizations, the foundation advances sustainable development initiatives that prioritize community building and environmental responsibility. The organization's innovative CAEMBA project project builds shelters, homes, schools and community centers using bamboo as the primary material.
Project story
Living Clay: Siekopaai Women and Palm Guardians Restoring Water and Amazon Forests
We are the women of the Keñao Association from the Siekoya Remolino community in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Our people, the Siekopaai Nation, have chosen to conserve more than 21,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest because we understand that our forest, water, and culture are deeply interconnected.
Six years ago, we organized ourselves to revive ancestral Siekopaai pottery, a tradition passed down by our grandmothers. Through pottery, we have strengthened our cultural identity, created spaces for intergenerational learning, and developed community-based initiatives rooted in the sustainable use of forest resources, including the production of juices and fruit pulp from native palm species.
Today, we are ready to take the next step. Our goal is to restore streams, wetlands, and clay harvesting sites that provide the raw material for our pottery. We also aim to plant native palms and fruit trees, establish a community nursery, strengthen Indigenous education in our schools, and create spaces where youth, women, elders, and community members can share knowledge, promote community well-being, and deepen their connection with nature.
Funding will support ecological restoration activities, native plant production, educational materials, community workshops, and the strengthening of the Women’s House, where we carry out pottery-making, fruit processing, and training for our “Palm Guardians” — young people who learn traditional techniques for harvesting forest fruits without cutting down trees.
Our challenge is to protect our culture and territory while facing the rapid changes affecting the Amazon. We believe that safeguarding water, forests, and ancestral knowledge is essential to building a healthier future for our communities and for the planet.
Project updates
Team
Location
Ecuador
Round 3
Jul 1-21, 2026
Supporting community-led nature projects around the world.
Matching funds provided by
