OIOC 2025 — COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT
- Oioc El Origen Shanayoy
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Rooted in Reciprocity, Strengthened by Ancestral Leadership
Organization for Indigenous Outreach & Conservation (OIOC).
Kamëntsá Territory, Sibundoy Valley, Colombian Amazon
Letter From the Organization
For the Kamëntsá people, life moves in circles, not in straight lines. Our language, our plants, our rivers, our stories — all are part of the living weave that holds our community together. At OIOC, we walk with this ancestral understanding, guided by reciprocity, memory, and the responsibility to protect what is sacred.
In 2025, thanks to the support of our global community, we achieved meaningful progress across education, ecological restoration, cultural revitalization, and community well-being. Each contribution — from monthly supporters to partner organizations to one-time donors — made a tangible difference in our territory.
We are honored to share that our Director, Taita Juan Bautista Agreda, has been appointed as the Kamëntsá Chief Authority for the 2026 year. This blessing gives OIOC the opportunity to conduct our 2026 operations under the spiritual and cultural leadership of the highest authority of the Kamëntsá people. His guidance strengthens our work, grounding it in tradition, integrity, and ancestral legitimacy.
We also express deep gratitude to our sister organization Circle of Sacred Nature (CSN) and to Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative (IRI), whose sustained support continues to empower OIOC’s mission. Their ongoing partnership is one of the pillars of our reciprocity-based model.
With humility and gratitude, we share the impact of this year’s work.
Message of Gratitude from Our Director and 2026 Kamëntsá Chief Authority
Taita Juan Bautista Agreda
We invite you to watch this short message from Taita Juan, offering his heartfelt gratitude for your support and blessings for the path ahead. His words carry the spiritual authority of the Kamëntsá people and remind us that your contribution is part of a living prayer for the future of the territory.
2025 OIOC ACHIEVEMENTS
Kamëntsá Language Revitalization Program
121 students • 4 teachers • 28 children gifts • $18,918 in student bonuses distributed, with the support of:
Circle of Sacred Nature (CSN)
IRI (Chacruna Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative)
Santiago Suárez
John Casper
Sidar Şahin
Diane Johanson
David Levy
Derek Rubinstein
Katie Wakefield
50+ individual donors
2025 marked a powerful year for the revival of the Kamëntsá language. Through the dedication of our teaching team and the generosity of our supporters, we were able to:
Continue teaching 121 active students across multiple ages
Sustain the work of 4 Kamëntsá language teachers
Provide $18,918 USD in motivation bonuses to support attendance, commitment, and cultural pride
Give school kits to 28 children
Deepen intergenerational learning and community engagement
Strengthen cultural identity through language practice and ceremonies
This program is not simply education — it is the rebirth of a memory system that colonization attempted to silence. Thanks to you, it is alive.
Shanayoy Botanical Garden & Ancestral Plant Knowledge Lab
80 native plants • complete educational signage installed
With reciprocity support from CSN members and community allies, we:
Cared for 80 medicinal and native species representing ancestral ecological knowledge
Installed 80 educational signs, creating a living classroom for youth, herbalists, and researchers
Advance the development of the Shanayoy Botanical Knowledge Lab for intercultural research and student learning
Continued Kamentsa plant names documentation with the expertise of Andrés Juagibioy
Prepared for future audio recordings of plant names in Kamëntsá
The botanical garden is becoming a bridge — where local students, elders, and international visitors can meet the wisdom of the forest.
Women’s Empowerment – Hummingbird Campaign
20 Kamëntsá women artisans supported
Our Hummingbird Campaign continues to open doors for women in the territory:
Supported 20 women artisans producing traditional beadwork
The Psychedelic Society of New Orleans purchased over $700 USD in jewelry
We opened a point of sale in New Orleans, selling over 100 hummingbirds
Expanded wholesale partnerships with plant-medicine and cultural organizations
This initiative uplifts women, preserves artistic traditions, and strengthens family income.
Root of Dignity – Housing Support
Supported by CSN, Ryan Murphey, and individual donors, OIOC provided:
Housing support for vulnerable families
Emergency repairs for families in unsafe living conditions
Materials for elders living alone
Continued accompaniment for those most in need
This program is a reminder that dignity begins at home — with warmth, safety, and stability.
Partnerships & Collaborations
2025 strengthened OIOC’s network of allies and global bridges:
CSN (Circle of Sacred Nature) – continuous partner in reciprocity and healing
IRI (Chacruna) – key funder for language and conservation projects
GlobalGiving – a platform expanding our international visibility
Drug Science UK – collaborator for the Indigenous-Led Science Program
Mind Medicine Australia – institutional partner (program seat)
Netherlands Philanthropist – provider of €50,000 matching fund
These partnerships expand our reach while honoring Indigenous leadership and ethics.
Indigenous-Led Science Program (ILP)
Projected Launch: 2026 — Immersion: May 2026
Significant steps taken in 2025:
Continued curriculum design integrating Indigenous ethics, ecological knowledge, and intercultural research methods
Progress toward matching the €50,000 commitment from our NL philanthropist
Secured partnership interest from Mind Medicine Australia and academic allies
2 spots of individual researchers secured
Prepared immersive field learning experiences in the Kamëntsá territory
This program will bring Indigenous frameworks into the heart of global psychedelic and plant-medicine research.
Monthly Donor Circle
We are deeply grateful for our recurring supporters:
Oliver Reiter
Katie Wakefield
Daniela Passani Kruppa
Their monthly contributions sustain fieldwork, protect plants, support teachers, and provide continuity for all OIOC programs.
We invite our global community to join them as monthly donors to ensure long-term impact.
2025 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Community Contributions & Program Funding
Each contribution became a seed of healing, cultural preservation, and ecological care.
Program / Purpose | Amount Raised (USD) |
Monthly Donor Support (Annual Total) | $3,696 |
Amazon Conservation | $1,931 |
Root of Dignity (Housing Support) | $2,465 |
Botanical Garden & Educational Signage | $838 |
Kamëntsá Language Revitalization Program | $24,117 |
TOTAL FUNDS RAISED IN 2025 | $33,047 |
LOOKING AHEAD — 2026 PRIORITIES
With the guidance of Chief Authority Taita Juan, OIOC will focus on:
1. Expanding the Kamëntsá Language Program
More students, more locations, deeper curriculum implementation
2. Rebuilding the Greenhouse
Destroyed by weather — essential for Amazon restoration and riverbank reforestation
3. Botanical Garden Website & Audio Recordings
Public educational portal for plant knowledge
4. Women’s Empowerment Expansion
Growing wholesale partnerships to support Kamëntsá women artisans
5. Housing for Elders & Families
Continuing the Root of Dignity program
6. Launching the Indigenous-Led Science Program
A new model for ethical, Indigenous-centered psychedelic research
Closing Blessing
Thank you for walking this path with us. Your support is not just financial — it is a gesture of reciprocity, a prayer in action, and a commitment to keep ancestral knowledge alive.
Under the guidance of Taita Juan and with the strength of our community, we continue forward —protecting language, land, memory, and spirit.
As we enter a new year, we send our heartfelt wishes for peace, clarity, and renewal.
May this holiday season bless your home and your heart.
May the new year invite us to walk together in harmony, as one humanity, caring for life and for one another.
In gratitude and reciprocity,
The OIOC Team
Kamëntsá Territory, Sibundoy Valley
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