June 2026 · Newsletter
Rooted in Community
Updates on our work supporting community-led reforestation
and social entrepreneurship in the Colombian Amazon.
WELCOME
The first half of 2026 brought real milestones at our Minga Kuri project: first harvests, new machinery, and deepening community ties. We also have some exciting work on the horizon. Thank you for being part of it.
OUR IMPACT
Minga Kuri project increases green cover by 137% in 2 Years!
Satellite images of Minga Kuri project green cover at 500m area radius, provided by Michal Provazek via the EO2GO Environmental App
Foundation updates
What we’ve been up to
In February, Founder Aleyda visited Minga Kuri to review progress first-hand and identify future needs. Content Writer Elène also made the journey to Putumayo in January. Read about their experience in the Community section below.On the fundraising side, our team has been engaging with Dutch jewellers and garden centres, businesses selected for their relevance to the Minga Kuri project. We also attended Partners for Water’s Waterproof 2026 conference to connect with colleagues working on water-related challenges, particularly timely given water pollution concerns at the project site. More on this in our Looking Ahead section below. We joined two volunteer engagement events — the Urban Volunteer Market “Together at Home” and the Talent for Good Forum — and are continuing to overhaul our website for a better user experience. Bear with us while renovations are underway!project milestones
A year of firsts at Minga Kuri
The first half of 2026 marked important milestones in the project’s journey from reforestation effort to self-sustaining agroforest.
February
Scales purchased to assist with measuring forest productivity and product sales
March
First ever harvest: 50 kg of cupuaçu fruit and Amazonian pineapple harvested for sale locally
May
Acquired cupuaçu processor to produce butter with the fruit seeds, which can be used to create skincare & cosmetics, soaps & balms and food, such as a chocolate-like product.
community
New Blog: Between Gold and Forest
TERRA Foundation content creator Elène recently travelled to the Putumayo region of Colombia, deep in the Amazon, to visit Minga Kuri — the project of the Association of Traditional Gold Miners with Environmental Awareness (ASOMINTRACONAL). Located in Puerto Guzmán, Minga Kuri is at the heart of TERRA’s work in the region. Working alongside ASOMINTRACONAL, TERRA supports the association’s efforts to restore land degraded by traditional gold mining.
In her blog, Elène shares her first experiences of visiting the project site, the challenges of reforestation in a complex area, the work that goes into it and the sweet rewards it brings. Through the journey she meets William, the legal representative of ASOMINTRACONAL and their guide for this visit whose own path toward conservation reflects the broader transformation taking place in the region.
Volunteer Spotlight
Q: Tell us about yourself and your role with TERRA!
A: I’m Elène Lenders. Officially, I am our content writer, but I’ve worn many hats. I have volunteered with TERRA since June 2025 and have a background in environmental economics.
Q: What inspired you to get involved and support our mission in the first place?
A: I have always loved nature and wanted to play a part in protecting it. Supporting biodiversity conservation in regions like the Amazon that are critical to our planet, seemed like a worthy cause. These areas provide ecosystem services and regulate our climate. We all have a responsibility to contribute even if we are not living there.
Q: What have you learned or gained from this volunteering experience?
A: Take initiative if there’s a topic that you really care about, and you will learn a lot along the way. I applied for the role as content writer, but in the end, I ended up generating support for our events, using my love of painting to make art for TERRA, and visiting the Minga Kuri site to interview the community. Use your own talents to contribute to a cause you care about.
Q: What was your best moment or fun experience with TERRA?
A: Visiting the project site in Putumayo, Colombia! I planted many açai trees and got to see the hard work that goes into the project. I also experienced the beauty of the region. On the final day, we hiked to and swam in the beautiful waterfall in the rainforest. It felt like a hidden tropical paradise.
looking ahead
What’s coming up in the second half of 2026
Nursery Fundraising
We’re seeking grant opportunities and major donors to fund a dedicated nursery at Minga Kuri, expanding the project’s capacity to grow seedlings at scale.
Conservation Project
We are scoping a new initiative with the Fundacion Kindicocha to protect 450 hectares in the Andino-Amazonian knot — a biodiversity hotspot in Putumayo.
Medicinal plant greenhouse
A women-led initiative to build a medicinal plant greenhouse at a local school in Sibundoy in Putumayo, passing traditional knowledge to the next generation.
Bees for Biodiversity
TERRA is working to procure a beehive at Minga Kuri to support biodiversity and develop local beekeeping skills.
Upcoming Events
WHEN NATURE IS UNDER THREAT – SO IS LIFE
Join Us This October in The Hague
Artisanal gold mining, fossil fuel spills, and illegal resource extraction are devastating ecosystems and threatening the survival of indigenous and local communities across the world, particularly in the Amazon region. This October, TERRA Foundation is hosting its yearly event in The Hague to take a closer look at these realities and explore paths forward.
→ Location & date details to follow soon!
ABOUT MINGA KURI
OUR FLAGSHIP PROJECT
TERRA supports ASOMINTRACONAL, a community of 60 Afro-descendant people, in reforesting 74 hectares of land degraded by mining in the Putumayo region of the Colombian Amazon. The project aims to produce a rich agroforestry system in which trees, food crops, and the people thrive together. To date, TERRA has provided €2,100 in funding, planting over 600 trees, co-financing a septic tank, and purchase of scales for the project site. The project has moved from planting to harvesting and expanding local capacity in only a few short years.
get involved
How to support terra
With €15, a sapling is planted and maintained for its first year, receiving compost 4x to settle its roots. More generous donations help buy tools and resources to care for the trees.
TERRA is run by volunteers who donate their time and share their professional talents to our work. We are presently looking for a Content writer, a social media coordinator, and event organisers.
Let’s work together to create innovative solutions and long-term success through reforestation.