What is the Yanomami Foundation?
A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2013. We are a highly specialized, international, and multi-disciplinary field-based team with decades of experience working with indigenous peoples in the Amazon. We are dedicated to the protection of the Amazon rainforest, advancing research in the human microbiome space and global health, and the promotion of intercultural programs that build resilience, self-determination, and sustainable lifestyles for the Yanomami.
Through our collaboration with Yanomami communities we carry out projects that meet specific goals and needs. With each expedition we document and learn more about the Yanomami culture leading to stronger and more trusting relationships with their communities. Our deep respect and admiration for their way of life inspires us to do whatever we can to preserve it.
Our guiding principles
RESPECT
The Yanomami Foundation is a conduit, through trust and respect, for fostering cross-cultural awareness and establishing a global consciousness between peoples of all cultures and walks of life.
DO NO HARM
Always respect the wishes of the indigenous communities. Our projects always acquire the permission and blessings of the people.
DO GOOD
We are keenly aware of the sensitive balance between supporting socioeconomic progression and preservation of traditional values and customs. The Yanomami Foundation engages with indigenous leaders, existing local and national NGOs, and support groups with similar missions to create a community of collaboration that sets common goals and shares resources to achieve them.
BUILD & FOSTER RELATIONSHIPS
The Yanomami Foundation staff spends as much time as possible in indigenous communities to better understand their ways of living, languages, and the impacts of exposure to other cultures.
LEARN
We document, learn, and preserve the indigenous way of life to foster cross-cultural awareness, and promote the recognition and protection of indigenous rights and ancestral lands.
SHARE
In the field, our team records stories and documents Yanomami society so that we can share our gained experiences with you. We aspire to bring you a little closer to the Yanomami to see them not as an isolated “other”, but as inner circle members of our global community for whom we want to provide a helping hand.
