A village called brafe.space by Carla Maria De Souza

It continues to fascinate me how brafe.space brings such beautiful complexity into my life. From confronting thoughts about power and money being held by the same people, to the experience of listening to Susan O'Neil by a bonfire, holding my son, and being hugged by my dear friend Lisa.

To me, this space captures the essence of what it means to be human in the present day.

Entering brafe.space - my fears, hopes and expectations

I joined brafe.space two years ago, invited by my friend Lisa. At the time, she told me about a group of people coming together to reimagine leadership and money dynamics while embarking on a journey of inner work. I nodded, saying, "That sounds great," but deep down I thought, "Here we go again, another space full of privileged people where I'll share my story, just to be told how strong I am, and nothing else will come of it."

Still, I was curious. Something inside me urged me to give it a try, so I did.

After learning more about brafe.space from Anna and Wilfried, I became quite excited, though I still lacked full clarity. The complexity and experimental nature of the space reminded me of my own work at Project Tres, where I strive to keep an open mind and heart for the emerging needs and solutions of the women I work with in India and Kenya. I thought to myself, that if this space could at least attempt to bring people from different backgrounds together, encourage us to speak from personal experience and engage in open discussions about money dynamics, then it would be something I wanted to be part of.

As an immigrant Latina woman working with women in the Global South, it was important for me to reflect on what I expected from this space. I made an internal commitment: before focusing on what I could bring or share that might be of value to others, I would walk this path as honestly and authentically as possible, starting with myself.

Coming from a background of domestic violence and oppression, having the opportunity to engage in this work as an adult, surrounded by people witnessing my process—especially those from social groups that have often ignored or tried to educate me in the past—was a significant experience. I decided that brafe.space would truly be my place the day I could openly discuss capital accumulation and redistribution without feeling like I was being perceived as opportunistic. The day I could speak about how the lack of financial resources has hindered my work and directly affected the lives of those I represent through my organization.

Becoming a Brafe Funding Case - being seen as an entrepreneur

Ultimately, I would feel a balance between bravery and safety when, for once, someone with wealth would listen to my struggles in securing funds and connect with my humanity without needing to defend their own position or privileges. I have been in many situations where funders have repeatedly told me how hard it is to be wealthy and always be approached by others for their money. But this person, in this space, would reach a level of deep trust and connection with me, fully understanding that I also see their humanity, not just their social identity.

After two years of participating in various programs at brafe.space, while navigating the early months of my postpartum period, I reached out to Anna and Rolf to propose holding the first nonprofit funding case within brafe.space. They responded positively, and after a few conversations about what I needed to prepare, my next task was to find one or more lead investors within the community to financially contribute and advocate for the case within our community.

Navigating a wave of emotions and the fear of rejection, I approached two women whom I believed could support the case. The first was Lisa, my friend who was the first person I met in the sustainability world when I arrived in Berlin. I still remember crying in her office, telling her I might have to find a part-time job in a coffee shop and likely stop my work in India and Kenya due to a lack of resources. Lisa immediately placed an order for her brand, FOLKDAYS, and told me repeatedly that I should continue this work because, one day, others would recognize and support it—and that this was the price of pioneering work in a capitalist system.

The second was Joana, someone I had met briefly at a brafe Tuesday event who connected with me and my approach. Months later, during one of the most challenging times of my postpartum period, she reached out to me and said her company wanted to make a Christmas donation to my organization. After less than 10 minutes of conversation, Joana decided to donate a significant sum to us, which was especially meaningful as I was on maternity leave and unable to actively raise funds for Project Tres.

I invited Joana for a coffee, shared the funding case idea, and asked if she was interested in being my lead investor. Her reaction was beautiful and humble—she expressed excitement and gratitude for the invitation and happily agreed. I cried on my way home, carrying Lui with me.

I updated Anna and Rolf about the case, and during our conversation, they asked me what my way of doing things was. Since I had been denied funding multiple times in the past and often had to adjust our approach to fit funding criteria, they encouraged me to create a campaign in the way I envisioned it—without trying to please anyone else.

I worked with my team and together we created the boldest campaign we’ve ever done in seven years of running the organization: Decolonizing Aid. In it, we highlighted the issues we’ve faced in the funding sector and our belief in a less Eurocentric approach, where the beneficiaries in the Global South design and benefit from the programs. We launched the campaign in June 2024, and within six weeks, with the support of 24 brafe.space participants, we raised over €150,000—the largest amount in our organization’s history.

Doing this within brafe.space felt like the culmination of a full circle—a series of experiments leading to this final piece, which was my primary reason for saying yes to the opportunity. It was frightening and exhilarating, and it gave me a deep sense of confidence in the power of true connections. It also boosted my confidence, especially because I was able to do all of this while caring for my little son.

It takes a village….

Attending the brafe camp this year, and meeting many of these supporters as well as friends I’ve made along the way, was magical. I decided to bring Lui with me, feeling afraid it might not work out and considering the possibility of leaving early if needed.

In the end, I was supported by many helping hands—from Esther looking after Lui at night so I could have time to myself, to Lisa sleeping with us to help in the mornings, from Lili taking Lui for walks to see the trees, to Emilia playing with him on the trampoline, and Shammi carrying him around and feeding him so I could eat.

I had always envisioned raising my child with a village, but I never imagined that this village would be the same one that gave me the space and resources to explore new professional possibilities, brought me closer to people I once felt separated from, and allowed me to experience both bravery and safety simultaneously.

After all, I suppose that’s what villages are meant to do.