The fellowship was designed by our Indigenous Women's Committee to support Indigenous women to promote gender equality, improve the socio-economic well-being of women in their communities, advance Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights, and contribute to enhancing their role as leaders, thereby contributing to local durable support and guardianship of territories.
Project: Capacity Building for Young Ttwa/Nyindu Indigenous Women and Girls of Luindi in Access to Land.
Through her project Crispine seeks to ensure equitable access to land through a combination of traditional and modern practices. She will lead community meetings and discussions to promote the empowerment and training of Twa/Nyindu Indigenous women and girls from Luindi.
Crispine Ngena is a lawyer, ecofeminist activist, and a member of the Indigenous Twa/Nyindu People. She is Co-Founder and Executive Coordinator of Actions for Nature Conservation and Community Development, an organization that promotes the participation of women and girls in natural resource management. Her work focuses on territorial security, land conflict resolution, and climate justice, promoting Indigenous women’s leadership in environmental protection and sustainable development.
“Land is power, every Indigenous woman must know how to use legal and traditional means to secure it.”
Project: Mapping the Guthi/communal lands of the Newa Indigenous Communities in Sankhu, East Kathmandu, affected by a “smart” city project
Through her project Pranisha initiated the Newa Indigenous Peoples’ Guthi/Community Land Mapping Project in Sankhu, Nepal, which seeks to document and protect Indigenous lands from the threat of Smart City construction, preventing the displacement of Newa and other Indigenous Peoples’ Communities.
Pranisha Shakya has held leadership roles at both professional and community levels. As a Program and Research Officer at Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ), she has worked on defending the human rights of Indigenous and rural Peoples in the face of development and corporate projects. She has participated in research, community mobilization and capacity building, supporting communities affected by mega-projects such as the Tanahu Hydroelectric Project and the Sunkoshi-Marin Multipurpose Diversion Project. It has also contributed to renewable energy access and disaster response initiatives.
“This fellowship is a transformative opportunity for personal and professional growth. I am eager to develop my leadership skills, particularly in advocacy and community organizing, to better serve my community and create meaningful change for the Indigenous Peoples, particularly for women and youth. I look forward to connecting with other Indigenous women leaders, sharing our experiences and learning from their diverse perspectives.”
Project: Strengthening Lives Project: Economic Empowerment of Indigenous Sikuani, Hitnu and Inga Women in the Municipality of Arauca, Department of Arauca.
Through her project Sandra will strengthen the economic empowerment of Indigenous women of the Sikuani, Hitnu, and Inga People, allowing them to regain their autonomy through the development of sustainable productive initiatives. These initiatives will include the commercialization of handicrafts and agricultural products, training in business management, and the strengthening of food sovereignty. Sandra proposes the construction of a “Casa de Pensamiento de la Mujer Indígena”, a safe space to strengthen the community fabric. Indigenous fairs and markets will also be held for the commercialization of products and the exchange of knowledge.
Sandra Arellano is an Indigenous Sikuani woman and public administrator with experience in community leadership, project management, and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples. She has worked in Arauca facilitating access to resources and promoting initiatives for the benefit of her community. She was ASCATIDAR’s Youth Coordinator and has promoted projects for the empowerment of Indigenous women in food sovereignty and economy.
She has been trained in the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) and the Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas (ECMIA), acquiring tools for political advocacy and the defense of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Currently, she is leading a project to strengthen the economic autonomy of Indigenous women through productive initiatives, marketing and the construction of the Indigenous Women’s House of Thought.
“I hope that this fellowship will provide me with tools and experiences that will strengthen my leadership and management in favor of Indigenous Peoples. I want to expand my knowledge of political advocacy, project development, and empowerment strategies, especially for Indigenous Women. In addition, I want to generate joint networks with other leaders and organizations to promote initiatives that strengthen the autonomy and well-being of our Indigenous Peoples”.
Project: Indigenous Women Reviving Nature: A Pathway to Climate Resilience.
Through her project Tatiana seeks to restore biodiversity, improve food and water security, and strengthen traditional knowledge through nature-based solutions such as the reintroduction of native plants like Totora. This project will empower Indigenous women and youth in the communities of Murato, Vito and Aymara to lead in the restoration of degraded ecosystems.
Tatiana Blanco is an Aymara woman, community leader, and environmental scientist committed to defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples and restoring ecosystems. Motivated by what she has seen of the environmental degradation caused by mining pollution and climate change, she has dedicated her work to unite traditional knowledge with science to heal territories and bodies of water.
She leads the Uru Uru team, which works to decontaminate lakes and wetlands in Bolivia, promoting nature-based solutions and strengthening the role of indigenous women in environmental protection. She has collaborated with national and international institutions, highlighting the importance of ancestral knowledge in the fight against climate change.
“I hope this fellowship will give me the tools to amplify the voice of Indigenous women in environmental restoration and strengthen our leadership in decision-making (…) it is not only an opportunity to continue learning, but a platform to demonstrate that solutions to the climate crisis already exist in our communities. I hope to come out of this fellowship with more strength and strategies to continue restoring the land, strengthening the resilience of our communities, and ensuring that environmental justice does not leave Indigenous Peoples behind.”
Project: Encounter of Mayan indigenous women of the Yucatan Peninsula in agroecology for food justice.
Through her project Valiana seeks to reclaim traditional knowledge and food sovereignty. She will promote agroecological practices, workshops, and a space for collective reflection to make visible the impacts of agrochemicals on the nutrition and health of Indigenous women and their families. As a result, it is expected that a support network will be consolidated among rural women, enabling the organization and strengthening community strategies around food production and processing.
Valiana Aguilar is a Mayan woman farmer from Sinanché, Yucatán. She is co-founder of the Suumil Móokt’áan Collective and is dedicated to the care and breeding of melipona and apis bees. For the past five years, she has been working on the regeneration of the Maya territory through ancestral practices. In this space she has promoted a collective kitchen that rescues traditional fermentation and preservation techniques, as well as an ecological stove as a symbol of the Mayan culinary memory.
Her work has focused on rebuilding the environmental and social fabric of her community, challenging extractivist models, and regenerating degraded lands with traditional agricultural techniques. She has promoted the recognition of the work of Mayan peasant women, strengthening their knowledge and practices of land care.
“This scholarship is proving to be a life-changing and empowering opportunity for me as a Mayan woman. Since the beginning of the fellowship, I have been surrounded by women with extensive experience and knowledge who are working both at Land is Life and in their Indigenous Peoples’ communities. I hope to learn how to communicate our projects effectively to get them funded and supported, as well as lose the fear of writing proposals and budgets.”
