About Us
WAMA is a non-profit organization that supports sustainable livelihoods in the Amazon through creativity, ancestral knowledge, design, and biodiversity-based innovation. We work with Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and young creatives to build a regenerative future for the forest and its people.
Based in Manaus, Brazil — acting across the Amazon biome.
Initiatives
WAMA's initiatives seek to bring the discussion of sociobiodiversity into the creative market of arts, fashion & design, fostering a meaningful connection between local knowledge, traditional practices, and contemporariness. By integrating the wisdom of Amazonian communities with the innovation of creative professionals, we aim to create a sustainable and inclusive model that values both cultural heritage and environmental preservation. At its core, this initiative is about building bridges—between people, territories, and economies—while empowering women entrepreneurs and promoting the sustainable use of forest resources.
Impact Goals
By 2030
- 500+ families positively impacted
- 85% of participants are women
- 90% of youth involved are under 30
- 15 million digital reach
WHAT WE DO
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Capacity building in the field of materials, design & handicrafts, value chains, production management, community entrepreneurship
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Artistic collaborations with communities
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Creative education and training for women and youth across communities (e.g.: crafts & design; jewellery and textile art)
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Support local production value chains and entrepreneurship
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Artistic residencies and cultural exchanges
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Exhibitions and cultural events linked to indigenous cultures, fashion, arts and design rubber, fibers, seeds, clay, natural dyes
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Storytelling and impact publications
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Certifications and traceability
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Local entrepreneurship programmes
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Research and development for innovation in Amazonian biomaterials .
Projects
Circularity Yawanawá: Life Without Waste in the Forest
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Rethinking the forest people relationship with waste. In the Yawanawá villages, the initiative brings together tradition and innovation to transform residues into life, protect the forest, and inspire solutions in the face of the climate challenges confronting our planet.
Flores da Seringueira: rediscovering the rubber trees
The Flores da Seringueira group is a collective of women artisans from Mato Grosso, active since 2023, formed through natural latex workshops led by Flavia Amadeu. The initiative fosters capacity building, economic autonomy, and the appreciation of local knowledge, transforming latex into biomaterials applied to fashion, art, and design. Beyond production, the group represents a process of social regeneration, female leadership, and a conscious connection to the territory.
Rikbaktsa Women: Indigenous Identity and Wild Rubber
A project highlighting the leadership of Rikbaktsa women in the native rubber value chain. It combines traditional knowledge and biomaterial innovation through workshops, community-based production, and regenerative economic alternatives with international visibility.
Sol Group
The Grupo Sol is a collective of women artisans based in Pará, currently in the process of strengthening and structuring their rubber handicraft production chain. We are seeking funding to support capacity building, equipment, and infrastructure, enabling the group to consolidate sustainable production, generate stable income, and add value to natural rubber through design-driven craftsmanship. The initiative aims to foster economic autonomy, social impact, and a regenerative relationship with the Amazonian territory.
e-Amazônia: Artistic Expeditions for Regeneration
A multidisciplinary project that connects art, design, territory, and environmental awareness through immersive experiences in the Amazon. Conceived as a platform for creative exchange, the initiative brings together artists, designers, researchers, and local communities to develop works and processes rooted in regeneration, ancestral knowledge, and innovative biomaterials. More than an expedition, e-Amazônia proposes a living laboratory where creation becomes a tool for ecological reflection, cultural valorization, and systemic transformation.
Yawanawá Fashion
This project aims to develop the design foundations of a fashion brand created for and with the Yawanawa people. Through a series of workshops, young participants will engage with core design principles for collection development, while also receiving entrepreneurial guidance to understand and actively participate in the entire value chain — from concept to production, positioning, and market strategy. The initiative seeks to strengthen cultural identity, foster creative autonomy, and build pathways for long-term economic empowerment rooted in their own worldview and territory.
WAMA Talks & Events
Be part of WAMA Talks and Events and support our innitiaves. SOON...
Amazon Sustainability Expoqua., 06 de ago.Sustainability Innovation Hub
Indigenous Creativity Workshopqua., 06 de ago.Indigenous Culture Center
Amazon Culture Festivalqua., 06 de ago.Cultural Exchange Pavilion
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