Reconnecting and EMBRACING change

Our new brand and inspiring projects for 2024

It's heartening to return and reconnect with you, sharing updates that resonate deeply with our mission. We're so happy to unveil our new brand and the exciting projects that come with countless incredible stories. Individuals deeply passionate about their environment are joining us to accomplish even more in 2024.

Beyond a beautifully redesigned website, this is our way of communicating our worldview to you. We aspire to embrace more colours, more people, ideas and life integrated into projects that transcend ecosystem restoration. Our new logo and brand tell much more about how we want to embody honesty, clarity, and closeness, reflecting just how the land is interconnected with everything. That's why we want to dive into culture heritage, echoing the voices of the people within our network and creating a space where you can feel like you're there -  Listening to these stories from someone sharing a piece of themselves, sitting in the backyard with coffee grown and harvested by the incredible Kalunga people for example.

Traditional Kalunga dance called “Susa".

Partners supporting ecosystem restoration

And here's the thing, the year 2023 was full of challenges, but we achieved a lot with the help of our supporters. We planted 50,000 pernambuco trees that our partners grew, helped to rebuild a Guarani Indigenous house of prayer after an arson attack, and supported other work you can read about in our blog posts... And now, we feel that we're ready for so much more. 

With your support, we're gearing up to kick off projects in 2024 in the Cerrado, Amazon, Mangroves and the Atlantic Forest... So, earthlings, let's cut straight to the part where you get to know a little more about these projects.

Quilombo Kalunga: Voices of the Cerrado

The Cerrado is the largest biome in South America. Called the Brazilian savannah, it is one of the most biodiverse and threatened regions in the world, with dense rootstock that stores huge quantities of carbon and plants known to the local communities to have medicinal applications for a wide range of conditions. One such community is the Kalunga, a grouping of 39 traditional Quilombola communities who are the descendants of runaway enslaved people.

Planting team at Quilombo Kalunga with wildlings of native Cerrado species

The Kalunga have a 300-year-old claim to their territory, which covers 262,000 hectares in Goiás state. In recognition of their resilience and efforts in land conservation, the Kalunga Historical and Cultural Heritage Site was declared the first TICCA (Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous and Local Communities) in Brazil by the U.N. Environment Programme and World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). This status gives them more visibility and support to protect their territory, and yet their land and culture are under constant assault by illegal invaders, such as wildcat gold miners, land grabbers and agribusiness.

With the help of RAIN and the support of our funding partner Green Paw, the Kalunga want to implement agroforestry systems combining trees, crops and animals in a mutually beneficial way. Agroforestry enhances soil fertility, water retention, food security, and income generation while preserving native vegetation and wildlife. The Kalunga also want to start marketing sustainable products, and part of the initiative involved receiving training and equipment to produce and sell organic honey, coffee and handicrafts.

During this holiday season, we're launching a special campaign that runs until December 31st. All donations received will be dedicated to the Quilombo Kalunga Project, aiming to kickstart it in early 2024. Our partners at the forefront welcome collaborations with businesses seeking to engage with communities in impactful ways that truly matter to them. If you have specific interests or contacts you'd like us to be aware of, please feel free to get in touch.

​​Maranhão: Connecting Mangroves in the Amazon

The Amazon is not only a rainforest but also a complex mosaic of ecosystems including mangroves. Mangroves are coastal forests that provide a range of benefits such as carbon storage, coastal protection, water filtration and habitat for diverse species. They also support the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on fishing, crabbing and tourism.

Mangroves are, however, among the most threatened ecosystems in the world, due to deforestation, urban and industrial development, shrimp farming and pollution. In Brazil, the Amazon holds 80% of the country’s mangroves, covering 11,200 square kilometers in Amapá, Pará and Maranhão. Many of these areas are inhabited by traditional Quilombola communities who have a strong cultural and historical connection to the land and sea.

This cute little seed that looks like a pen is from the Red Mangrove species, or scientifically known as Rhizophora mangle.

RAIN is working with these communities to restore and conserve the mangroves using a participatory and holistic approach involving mapping and monitoring their territories using drones and GPS devices. The initiative they developed also supports them to implement sustainable practices such as organic farming, agroforestry, beekeeping and ecotourism. In keeping with our connected approach, we also want to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences among different quilobola communities, fortifying a network of solidarity and empowerment.

By connecting mangroves in the Amazon, we are not only enhancing the resilience of these ecosystems, but also the well-being of the people who live in them.

Trees of Music

Music is a universal language that transcends borders and cultures. It is also a powerful tool for social and environmental change. Music can also be a force for good in the environment, and sadly for ill too - especially on the trees that are used to make musical instruments. One of these trees is brazilwood, a uniquely resonant species of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, which makes bows for string instruments.

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most biodiverse and threatened biomes in the world, with only 7% of its original cover remaining, most of which is fragmented and degraded. Deforestation, urban and industrial growth and climate change are the main drivers of this destruction, and the bow making trade is responsible for much illegal logging of brazilwood. Experts fear that if present trends continue this tree which gave its name to Brazil may be extinct within the next 20 years. Without it, the sound of strings we know and love would be forever lost.

James Barralet is performing Bach concertos in churches in the UK to support @TreesofMusic.

RAIN is collaborating with musicians, luthiers, researchers and conservationists to save the trees of music, and the life that depends on them. Thanks to partners like David Harber Ltd., we are planting brazilwood in different regions of the Atlantic Forest, using agroforestry and restoration techniques. We are also raising awareness of the environmental impacts of music, and creating opportunities for musicians to engage in creative and educational activities that inspire change. Cellist James Barralet has recently begun performing Bach concertos in churches in the UK. You can enjoy his music here, and if your local church or venue can host him, please contact us.

By planting the trees of music, we are not only preserving cultural and musical heritage, but also restoring a vital ecosystem that provides water, food and medicine for millions of people and animals.

Regeneration:Network

RAIN is actively building a regeneration network grounded in the foundational principles of mutual aid, solidarity and reciprocity. Our efforts aim to unite communities, organisations, businesses, and individuals who share a common vision and values, collectively contributing to the vital regeneration of nature and culture. This initiative is an extension of our twinning scheme, which goes beyond traditional partnerships to create meaningful connections between schools in the UK and Brazil - a collaborative framework that facilitates the exchange of diverse journeys, knowledge and resources among schools, Indigenous communities and various partners, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural differences.

Our educational project is rooted in the understanding that climate change and biodiversity loss represent urgent global challenges that cannot be tackled in isolation or through fragmented efforts.

Kids in Vitória - Brazil planting saplings.

Central to our approach is the establishment of an online community, serving as a dynamic platform that seamlessly interlinks on-the-ground projects. This space will be designed to foster extensive collaboration and mutual support among our network.

By joining us, you become part of a global movement that is transforming the world from the roots up and benefit from the support and opportunities that our network provides. You also have the chance to make a positive difference in the lives of people and the health of the planet. We offer different ways to get involved, such as donating, volunteering, partnering, learning and sharing.

A network of positive change

RAIN is a mutual aid organisation inspired by the efficiency and harmony found in nature’s interconnected systems, from the coordination of ants and bees to the vast mycelial networks beneath our forests. Just like the web of fungal threads that allows trees to trade resources and information, we are building a network of communication, support and resilience.

We believe that reforestation, agroforestry and ecosystem restoration are the most effective ways to combat climate change, biodiversity loss and social injustice. That’s why we partner with communities in Brazil who are facing the impacts of deforestation and degradation, and empower them to restore their lands and livelihoods.

We invite you to join us.