Colombia – South America
U’wa People
The indigenous U’wa territory spans across five provinces of Northeast Colombia. It stretches from lush cloud forests to paramo grasslands and glacier peaks. The U’wa people have been stewards of these exceptionally rich ecosystems for millennia.
This program supports the U’wa women leaders long-term strategies for environmental, cultural and territorial defence.
The U’wa Territory
The U’wa territory is home to a unique biodiversity and plays a major role in regulating water cycles and in carbon sequestration. The U’wa people, their culture and territory have been threatened by colonial, governmental, insurgent, and extractivist violence.
After nearly 30 years of litigation, in December 2024, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a ruling recognising that the Colombian State systematically violated the territorial and cultural rights of the U’wa Nation by imposing extractive projects on their territory without their consent.
Overcoming cultural resistance, remarkable U’wa women have been at forefront of this legal process and their sacred land defence.
Community-led Conservation
This program is in partnership with U’wa women leaders, rooted in the Guanuwa Reserve at the foothills of Mount Zizuma (Sierra Nevada del Cocuy). Mount Zizuma is at the heart of the U’wa people’s ancestral sacred land and spiritual life.
Following a community-led approach, we are supporting the U’wa women vision and long-term strategies for environmental, cultural and territorial defence.
The program is centred around producing coffee at scale, involving several neighbouring U’wa communities. This results in a sustainable source of income that supports both the U’wa people’s livelihood and their long-term strategies. The U’wa women dream of launching their own coffee brand reflecting their history, spirituality and culture.
A Holistic Approach
This program also supports the U’wa food security and sovereignty, their indigenous school for children, their young leaders training, and their human rights defence.
Coffee is a scared seed that is grown together with other crops, vegetables and herbs following ancestral practices. Growing and harvesting food and coffee are fundamental community moments where the women transmit knowledge, culture and spirituality to the children and the community at large.
The U’wa commitment to protect their sacred land is key to protect the health and biodiversity of their rich ecosystems and prevent further damage from extractivist activities and industries.
U’wa women cultural and territorial defence. U’wa women cultural and territorial defence