Celebrating meaningful allyship through flexible funding
Hi John,
At a time when anti-rights backlash is gaining ground and marginalised communities are being increasingly scapegoated, LGBTQI+ Pride month in June felt particularly important. LGBTQI+ Pride originated as a protest against oppression.
The rights and freedoms gained by LGBTQI+ people have been the result of social movements, the collective efforts of individuals and organisations all pushing for equality.
Reflecting that, we want to celebrate an organisation at the heart of the LBTQI+ movement in Nepal. For two decades, Mitini Nepal have powerfully advocated for the rights, safety, and joy of LBTQI+ people in Nepal.
Life for the LBTQI+ community in Nepal has improved over time, but entrenched social stigma and discrimination persist in almost every area of life.
“We see [discrimination] within social security, employment, health, education, marriage, and equal participation and representation… There are limited employment opportunities, and even when we secure jobs, we often encounter harassment,”- Jeshika Gautam, Outreach Officer at Mitini Nepal.
How we’re fueling Mitini Nepal
Thanks to your support, Womankind helped fund Mitini’s work through our new Strategic Partner Support Grant — a flexible, feminist fund that trusts partners to lead. No rigid conditions or burdensome reporting. Just the resources and autonomy they need to act, in the way they know best.
What Mitini has achieved with the funds has been extraordinary. It enabled them to respond to urgent needs while continuing deep organisational work rooted in self- and community care — the kind of work that rarely gets funded, yet is essential for sustaining feminist movements.
In the past year, Mitini Nepal has:
Held a team retreat to reflect, recharge, and strategise in a shifting, hostile climate.
Delivered urgent, life-saving support for the LBTQI+ community - from cancer treatment and pneumonia care to a wheelchair for a trans activist and gender-based violence survivor.
Offered livelihood tools such as seeds and farming equipment to help community members build sustainable incomes.
“This financial and moral support helps mitigate some of the discrimination and marginalisation our community members face.”– Mitini Nepal
At Womankind, we believe in long-term, flexible, and trust-based partnerships. Mitini Nepal knows what their community needs better than we ever could.
Your continued support of Womankind means they can keep doing what they do best: leading powerful, community-driven change on LBTQI+ rights and providing care and solidarity to people facing discrimination.
Header image: Mitini Nepal staff members Jeshika and Samjhaana with Samyog (right), who found strength and solidarity through Mitini Nepal (Photo credit: Sajana Shrestha / Womankind Worldwide)
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