Volunteering
Join us!
You too can get involved
with Mama Tierra!
Whether it is helping out directly as a volunteer, selling badges as a student or organising a flea market sale - every commitment counts.
Volunteering
Interested in development cooperation, indigenous peoples or sustainable fashion?
Become part of the Mama Tierra movement and volunteer. There are many opportunities to volunteer with us at any age. The many hours of volunteering have helped Mama Tierra support around 10,000 indigenous women and their families over the years. This is equivalent to the population of Davos.
Get in touch and let's make a big difference!
The current volunteer opportunities are listed here:
Fleamarket
Have a chat at the flea market and do some good at the same time!
Organise a stall at a flea market in your neighbourhood with family or friends. Collect items, clothes or curiosities in good condition and sell them at the flea market. With the proceeds you contribute to the realisation of our social projects.
A visit to a flea market is an exciting activity: strolling, browsing, discovering or having a chat with other visitors and sellers. Children and young people learn the value of money and develop an economic way of thinking.
PROCEDURE:
You register for the flea market under your name.
You collect and organise the goods for the sale.
Mama Tierra will send you flyers about our projects and stand material.
You can deduct the participation costs from the proceeds.
You receive a donation receipt for the amount collected, which you can deduct from your taxes.
Bake sale
Use your baking talent to help indigenous peoples!
Create delicious cakes or pastries and sell them at festivals, markets, concerts, schools or universities. Basically, a place with a large audience is worthwhile.
Theatre performances, "open house" events, sporting events and parents' evenings are also good opportunities for cake sales.
It is important that cake sales are permitted at the chosen venue or event. Therefore, it is important to make arrangements in advance.
PROCEDURE:
You register for the bake sale at an event under your name.
You bake and label the goods for sale.
Mama Tierra will send you flyers about our projects and stand material.
You can deduct the participation costs from the proceeds.
You receive a donation receipt with the amount collected, which you can deduct from your taxes.
Lourdes Grollimund
lgrollimund@mama-tierra.orgTestimonials
Douglas
My introduction to the Wayuu people of La Guajira were from papers about indigenous groups suffering from poverty, telling me that the individuals living in the most isolated regions of the department experience daily struggles with water shortages, lack of land productivity and food, poor sanitation, and limited health services. From these conditions, mothers and families experience a painfully high level of infant mortality due to malnutrition and disease. The Wayuu live in a desert, and sometimes an entire year goes by without a single drop of rain.
I found Mama Tierra and collaborated with Lourdes Grollimund for my Master thesis empirical research to travel to Alta Guajira in Colombia for 6 weeks. All the Wayuu I encountered were hard at work towards their daily survival and existence. Many evenings at the Iguaran’s, my host family, neighbors would show up unannounced during dinner time, and immediately my hosts knew: These neighbors were not able to find food today. The Iguaran’s happily shared what they had with their newly arrived guests. The lessons I experienced in humbleness, humility and cooperativeness are hard to find these days in modern developed societies.
With Mama Tierra, I have had the pleasure of experiencing the organization’s immense love and passion to work with the Wayuu. Both Lourdes and Katherine have lived with the communities and bring with them the same understanding and appreciation of the craft into the branding of the products, and continuously empowering the Wayuu women. They both spend their days dodging challenges and finding solutions for the Wayuu always.
Stephanie
I’m a huge supporter of Mama Tierra and how they help the Wayuu people of Colombia and Venezuela. The team in Switzerland works tirelessly to assist them, often sacrificing their own personal time to ensure things happen properly.
The fact that they use locally and sustainably sourced materials from South America is also incredible, especially when understanding the behind-the-scenes challenges this sometimes poses the team.
All of this has been hugely inspiring, which prompted me in turn to lend my services “ad vitam aeternam” for any necessary translations they may need from me.
Anika
I have been supporting Mama Tierra as a volunteer translator, interpreter and editor since 2018, working on anything from press releases and web content to videos, transcripts and voice-overs. Mama Tierra is an amazing organization that helps and protects indigenous women to build their lives while keeping their culture and traditions alive. They provide materials, support the villages and create a platform to sell the art for a fair value. Lourdes and her team deserve every moment of my time in their quest to create a better world.
Malory
It was thanks to Mama Tierra that I took the most important step of my life related to work. I was received with great affection and I realized that not only had I found a place where I could demonstrate my abilities, but I had also found a family. A family that believed in me from the beginning and from whom I learned a lot.
I want to emphasize that Mama Tierra's work is admirable in every way. Each product has a unique beauty and great potential, but behind every detail is the dedication and love of strong and inspiring women, both in the Guajira region and in Switzerland, who with perseverance are improving the living conditions of an entire community, respecting their culture and giving them the value they deserve.
Barbara
Working for Mama Tierra is an absolute stroke of luck for me! After my early retirement, I really wanted to use some of the time I had gained in my life for a charitable activity. At Mama Tierra I found exactly what I was looking for: I translate, correct and proofread various texts, e.g. on the website, press articles, flyers, etc. Sometimes I also go to Mama Tierra's beautiful atelier and support the team in preparing the products for shipping. I always enjoy the beautiful, high-quality and carefully made products! The fact that I can improve the living conditions of indigenous women and their families and also protect their environment through my work gives me great satisfaction.