Projects:

In all cases the Rainforest Foundation Fund works through the national organizations in the UK. US. Norway, and directly with local organizations. As a small fund it prioritizes its support, aiming particularly at developing medium-long term partnerships with organizations that:

• Either represents or are strongly connected to local/indigenous communities are generally small, but show potential to play a key role at the local, regional, and national level, will benefit from limited inputs in order to develop organizational capacity.

• May have limited access to other international funders are aware of the policy context of the work in which they are engaged and where appropriate, show the potential for influencing policy changes.

Since the beginning of its work progress has been achieved, but the road to the real recognition of Indigenous peoples' rights, to their identity, their land, their natural resources, their culture, their social order, and their religion at both the national and international level is long and hard and requires the support and the participation of all those who believe that the common ground on which all civilizations meet is that they are composed of human beings who are born free and equal in dignity.

Our determination to contribute to their battle for survival has brought some positive results during these years such as:

• Official recognition of indigenous land, consolidation of rights in national constitutions and a growing participation of indigenous leaders in discussions regarding policies and international treaties.

The victories are indigenous peoples' successes. But unfortunately, some of these successes remain on paper. If communities are to truly have their say, then the laws that affect them should be both accessible and understandable to them. They need help and training to be able to understand how the mapping of their land is carried out, what the laws and regulations to stop illegal logging and mining are, how to monitor the governments use of World Bank grants for projects dedicated to them, how to file a law suit, how to make the world aware of violations of their rights and how to defend themselves within a legal framework.

In Asia, Africa, and in the Americas, we have been supporting projects on:

• Territorial mapping, land title processing, legal services, public awareness programs, policy and advocacy activities for land and natural resources, forest conservation projects, protection of civil and political rights.

Many projects are the continuation of previous years because the very nature of the work we undertake is fraught with difficulty, not least that of securing funding for projects that rarely have immediate results and with outcomes and benefits that can take years to be realized, and also because everything in the field depends on one hand on indigenous peoples commitment to internal democracy and consensus in their communities, and on the other hand on the powerful forces they confront to bring about lasting social changes.

In 2008 Rainforest Foundation Fund will continue supporting our partners in Africa, Asia and the Americas, partly through the Rainforest Foundation organizations, partly through organizations on site.

Indigenous societies and movements worldwide are stronger than 20 years ago, and are better equipped to defend their rights. Through  innovative methods they are leading the way towards a more sustainable future and are actively building effective networks with a wide range of complementary groups.

 It is vital to support these developments with the ultimate goal of making them be the only actors of their destiny on the international scene. 

Download our 2006 - 2008 project report

Supported projects by region:
Africa , Asia , The Americas

Supported projects by year :
2007 2006   2005 2004

Highlights