“We believe in our capacity as women to beautify the world. It comes naturally to us. We are givers and caretakers of life.”
River of Life is a project, by women for women, around the world, to express their solidarity with each other.
Make an impact by financially supporting a woman and her community, having ripple out effects throughout the whole ecovillage network.
The Global Ecovillage Network has outstanding women leaders at the forefront of community-led strategies for sustainable change. They are key figures in rights and peace movements, poverty reduction, food security, climate change and social justice and are united by an inspiring vision of developing together social, cultural, economic and ecological solutions for a hopeful future. They work at the local level, but also at national and regional levels, weaving their networks and bridging communities and scaling out solutions.
To learn more about how the River of Life emerged, go here.
We invite you to support a woman in the global south to work directly within her community, strengthening the social fabric while regenerating ecosystems and livelihoods. Help her in setting up community garden projects, developing ecovillage transition programs, green schools or starting community-based peace-building and conservation initiatives, by funding her financially as well as building a meaningful relationship.
It is your choice how deep you want to engage and how much you want to support. Decide if you want to remain anonymous, or build a closer relationship – communicate regularly, send gifts or even visit in person, bridging cultures and becoming a global friend to another woman. This experience not only impacts the life of another woman but your life as well.
You will experience the deep joy and satisfaction that it brings to support a woman who is doing holistic community work and watching her grow with the help of your contribution.
The River of life is a forum where women in leadership can excel and are able to do the work that they are doing through the support of fellow women. My relationship with the woman who has been supporting me for the past few years is more of a mentor/coach. It is much more than just somebody supporting me financially.
-Sonita Mbah
If you want to develop a closer relationship and financially support a woman long term (for more than one year), then please fill out this form and we will take the time to find the right match and level of support for you.
You are also invited to learn more or share information about River of Life with our downloadable programme brochure.
Please write to us at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like more information about this initiative.
Some of the women currently supported:
Visolela Namises from Namibia has been able to establish a community farm through the River of Life funds in recent years, which now serves 26 households, over 30 large families and some elderly people from the neighborhood. In addition, the farmers in the community were able to increase their income from the sale of crops to the local market and to a nearby ecotourism center. Furthermore, a pond was created to store 120.00 m3 of rainwater that is used during the dry season. Visolela is also currently working with women who manufacture handicrafts and traditional perfume. To learn more about Visolela’s work, please read this story.
Here is a link to a short video about Visolela – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvBu5tVrHZU
Linda Kabaira from Zimbabwe is a dedicated social worker who carries out projects with young women and schools and focuses on the creation of allotments as a tool for ecological regeneration. Working through SCOPE Zimbabwe (Schools and Colleges Permaculture Network), it promotes practices that promote sustainable food systems to help mitigate and adapt to climate change. It trains young women to grow staple foods and use permaculture techniques to increase soil fertility, collect water, and maximize crops. The women she works with can meet her household food needs with an abundance of diverse, nutrient-rich, chemical-free fruits and vegetables. Their gardens produce a surplus, which they sell to generate income. To learn more about Linda’s work, please read this story.
Sonita Mbah is combining an MSc in EcoSocial Design while representing the youth wing of GEN Africa. She is a facilitator at Better World Cameroon. Sonita can now dedicate herself to reconnect young people to the land and to youth entrepreneurship related to climate change adaptation. She is passionate about food security, cultural heritage and green economy as solutions to the growing rate of unemployment in rural Africa.
Sharmila Seyyid is a poet, writer, journalist, thought leader, a single mother, entrepreneur and activist. Through her community center, Mantra Life in Sri Lanka, she focuses on promoting sustainable living, improving health and well-being, environmental protection, peace and reconciliation and women’s empowerment. With the support of River of Life, Sharmila has initiated a women for women ecovillage transition project with Tamil speaking women in the north and central parts of the country.
Program staff
Natalie Limwatana (Na), Coordinator, is a regenerative designer, mud builder, artist and teacher dedicated to nurturing the human potential to regenerate our world. She believes in the power of the individual, respects the interbeing of life and sees the world as a web of connections. This results in a holistic approach to life and work, embodying regenerative action with creativity, compassion and generosity.
She spends her time helping individuals, organisations and communities create life enhancing systems through consulting, design, project management, facilitating and getting her hands very dirty. Na is blessed to be able to contribute to local, regional and global projects working across varied sectors. She is a faculty member of Permaculture Women’s Guild specialising in natural building and regenerative design in the tropics. She facilitates Ecosystem Restoration Design with Gaia Education, helping to guide individuals ready to step into projects all over the globe. She is an ambassador for Global Ecovillage Network Oceania and Asia in Thailand embodying living a lighter footprint on mother earth and promoting ecovillage lifestyle. She is co-ordinating the development of ReGEN nations – an online regenerative learning journey blending together elements of Ecovillage Design Education with a project prototyping lab. Prior to all this Na worked for many years in corporate finance, an early career choice that left her disconnected and broken. Her personal journey is the reason she is passionate about helping others find their way to a life in better balance within the web of life.
Trudy Juriansz, Advisor, is an educator by heart, offering her nurturing character and positive attitude to ensure that people’s learning and other needs are being met. Her focus is on supporting people to empower themselves and to find meaning in their own life experiences. As part of her personal praxis, Trudy is constantly learning and reflecting on her life experiences, which she uses in her capacity as a facilitator.
Trudy is a key contributor in bridging communities and organisations in Asia and Oceania. She is currently working with Permaculture for Refugees and an indigenous community in Queensland, Australia. She was GEN’s Networking Director and GENOA coordinator for several years. Trudy is an accredited trainer of Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) and Analog Forestry (a design science for ecosystem restoration). In addition, she has studied, practiced and taught permaculture and deep ecology for many years. She has been the head of a democratic school in Thailand for migrants and refugees, managed a sustainability education centre in Sri Lanka, and facilitated countless workshops across Asia and Oceania, for communities, youth and women. Originally from Sri Lanka, Trudy has lived in several traditional villages and communities, and visited many ecovillages around the world.
