Amigos de la Madre Tierra

Community in ecological harmony.

When help can't arrive in time, the community is already ready.

We train community leaders in emergency response, in the territories where professional services take longest to arrive.

Bolivia now has its first CERT trainers.

And this is only the beginning.

25

certified trainers

13

communities trained

7

departments represented

40

hours of training

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Who we are

Solutions born from the communities themselves

Amigos de la Madre Tierra (AMT) is a non-profit organization that protects and strengthens communities and ecosystems through community-based, evidence-driven solutions to environmental, ecological and climate threats in Bolivia.

Born in Oakland, United States, we have now expanded our commitment with a new home base in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Learn more about us
Circle of CERT brigade members with green backpacks listening to the community on an Andean hillside

What we do

Five lines of work, one shared territory

Elevated view of the drill: brigade members lay out safety tape lines

Resilience and risk management

Preparedness and response to emergencies and disasters.

Group of volunteers with green helmets and CERT vests seated in the amphitheater

CERT — Community response

We train community leaders to provide a first response while specialized help arrives.

Panoramic view of the mining town of Colquechaca, Potosí

Sustainability and the environment

We promote sustainable, climate-resilient practices and solutions.

Participants raise their hands answering the instructor during class

Education and training

We develop educational processes and trainings that build knowledge, skills and leadership.

Community leader in traditional pollera speaks before the CERT group outdoors

Community leadership

We support leaders and organizations to strengthen coordination, participation and collective action.

Projects

Real stories, measured results

See all projects
Two CERT volunteers with green helmets and gloves attend to a victim on a stretcher during a drill

Chronicle · Cochabamba

Bolivia trains its first CERT trainers

Cochabamba, Bolivia (UMSS) · February 23–27, 2026

Five intensive days at UMSS turned 25 leaders from seven departments into the country’s first certified emergency-response trainers.

Read the story
The Colquechaca community with green helmets and reflective vests shows their CERT certificates

Chronicle · Potosí

Colquechaca: the first municipal CERT replication in Bolivia

Colquechaca, Potosí · March – July 2026

31 leaders from 13 communities in northern Potosí completed CERT training delivered by a Bolivian trainer — proof that the model multiplies.

Read the story

The turning point

“On March 13, 2026, less than three weeks after being certified, Eng. Ricardo Guzmán Canqui delivered the first community CERT training in the history of Bolivia.”

The certification did not stay on paper: it is already being replicated across the territories.

The full CERT Colquechaca cohort holds up their certificates beside the first aid kits and community equipment delivered.

Partners and collaborators

  • SAR-Bolivia Filial Cochabamba
  • Asociación Armonía
  • Instituto Politécnico Tomás Katari (IPTK)
  • Concejo Juvenil de Villa Vaca Guzmán
  • CICOL — Central Indígena de Comunidades Originarias de Lomerío
  • SERNAP — Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas
  • SERNAP TIPNIS
  • Kaaijayu GYBN Bolivia
  • Juventud Proactiva por la Amazonía (JUPROA)
  • Unidad de Bomberos K9 Búsqueda y Rescate — Gobierno Autónomo Departamental de Santa Cruz
  • Agua Sustentable
  • APG Capitanía Zona Macharetí
  • CIPCA — Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado
  • IPDRS Amazonía
  • REDAT Amazonía
  • Gobierno Autónomo Departamental de Cochabamba
  • DISU — UMSS
  • ESFOR — UMSS
  • FDRyT — UMSS
  • Dirección de Bomberos — Policía Boliviana
  • Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS)
  • CERT Latin Global
  • Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas, Pecuarias y Forestales — UMSS
  • Batallón de Producción y Ecología IV «Tte. Víctor Eduardo»
  • Batallón Ecológico I-DIV «Martín Cárdenas»

Want to join the work of Amigos de la Madre Tierra?

Write to us to learn about our projects and opportunities for partnership, volunteering and collaboration.

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