Indigenous peoples are the forest, the river, the biodiversity, the ecosystems, and the sacred spaces. According to a UN report, the embattled indigenous peoples of Latin America are by far the best guardians of the region’s forests, grounded in their ancient knowledge. While their demands for their rights have become increasingly visible in recent years, they have also been accompanied by increased persecution, racism, and assassinations. These people, whose contribution to the protection of forests is crucial, are rich in culture, knowledge, and natural resources but some of the poorest regarding incomes and access to services. Paying indigenous and tribal communities for the environmental benefits of their territories has reduced deforestation in countries including Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru.

While we wait for such initiatives to become a reality in Brazil, MABI wants to do its bit to protect those who protect us and look after the well-being of our planet. This is why we are launching a crowdfunding campaign, in which all funds raised will be transferred directly to the members of Aldeia Waninawa without the mediation of our company. The village members will use the funds to build a school and create a space to grow their food, as hunger and education are the main challenges they face today.

MABI knows first-hand the members of this tribe, with whom we have had the opportunity to live and learn from the knowledge of their ancestors; that is why, now more than ever, we believe that this is a cause worth fighting for. Indigenous peoples should be paid for the environmental benefits their stewardship provides and for funding to revitalize their ancestral knowledge of living in harmony with nature.

Until then, we need your support to protect those who protect us. We need your help to save the world’s best guardians of nature.