ROOTS Fellowship Foundation, fiscally sponsored by Modern Spirit, has announced funding for four new projects aimed at safeguarding Indigenous spiritual traditions in Colombia, Kenya, and Gabon. The foundation, whose acronym stands for Reviving Our Origins, Traditions & Spirit, was established by co-founders Salome Augustine Bissa Kopasz, Krisztian Kopasz, and Marvin Vivas Rodriguez. Based on personal experiences in Cameroon, Hungary, and Colombia, the founders emphasize that vital healing traditions are rapidly disappearing.
“In Africa, when an elder passes away, a library burns. My grandmother was the medicine woman and leader of her village. When she died, there was no one to carry her role forward. ROOTS exists to change that story — not just for her community, but for every lineage at risk,” said Salome Kopasz, co-founder and executive director.
The urgency of ROOTS’ work is underscored by a global reality: approximately 1,500 Indigenous languages and their associated knowledge are at risk of disappearing. The communities that speak these languages collectively steward 40% of the world’s remaining intact forests, yet their knowledge keepers face what international observers have described as a grave risk of physical and cultural extermination.
ROOTS addresses this crisis by empowering elders, spiritual leaders, and their chosen successors with resources. Rather than introducing outside frameworks, the foundation works from within each community. Each supported project identifies a lineage holder and their apprentice, covering basic living and educational costs to allow full immersion in spiritual training — a years-long commitment that cannot be combined with conventional employment.
“These traditions are not museum pieces. They are living systems of healing that entire communities depend on. We are here to ensure the next generation of lineage holders can actually do their work,” said Marvin Vivas Rodriguez, co-founder.
The four community-led programs span Africa and South America. In the Inga community of Putumayo, Colombia, traditional wisdom workshops are held monthly for 40–50 students in midwifery, traditional arts, and medicinal preparation, alongside communal Yagé ceremonies conducted by Taitas. In the Arhuaco community of Sasaima, Colombia, the initiative supports Mamo Lorenzo Izquierdo, an internationally recognized Arhuaco spiritual leader, and funds the complete training of his son as the community’s future Mamo — a lifelong vocation demanding total dedication. In the Duruma community of Kwale County, Kenya, the project protects the Duruma Kaya lineage and its sacred forest traditions, supporting mganga Baba Mwatela Masai and his successor daughter, Sipi Mwatela, through her multi-year apprenticeship. In Bilandzambi, Gabon, the Y’azo Leyissa Academy, founded by Yorick Ossavou Mombo, offers 11 preparatory modules in ritual practice, plant knowledge, and Iboga medicine to 25 students per academic year.
ROOTS Fellowship Foundation is currently accepting donations through its fiscal sponsor, Modern Spirit, a registered 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible for U.S. donors. To support a project or learn more, visit www.rootsfellowshipfoundation.org. More information about the fiscal sponsor can be found at modernspirit.org.
