Well, it’s certainly true for women’s rights. The freedoms we enjoy today were won through the determination of brave women across generations. And today activists in every country in the world will try, try and try again to make positive change for women and girls.
But to achieve the feminist future we all deserve, women’s rights organisations and movementsneed funding that caters to their needs. Instead, they’re often left competing for grants that come with long lists of terms and conditions.
Last May, Womankind responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with Resilience Grants. These were emergency funds sent directly to our 42 partner organisations with no strings attached. For partners to use where they felt the need was greatest. What we like to call flexible funding.
True to form, our partners responded to the Resilience Grants with creativity and innovation. Here are just a few examples:
Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), Uganda used funds to create a movable container office so they could continue work while remaining safe from COVID-19. Other partners, such as MEMPROW, are now eager to do the same.
In Zimbabwe power outages and water shortages can be a regular occurrence. Women’s Action Group invested in drilling a borehole for water and a solar panel system for electricity supply, equipping them with the potential to reduce costs and disruption in the future.
National Indigenous Women’s Federation (NIWF) broadcast crucial safety information through different FM radio stations in 43 mother languages across Nepal. Most updates were not accessible to indigenous people.
Women’s rights organisations have the resilience, expertise, and creativity to make long-lasting and impactful change. By investing in them today, we’re securing change for tomorrow.
Hannah Little
Supporter Care Team Womankind Worldwide
Image caption: Grace (13) with a ‘Talking Box’ that Womankind partners Polycom Development Association installed in her school. Talking Boxes have been designed as a safe place for girls to speak up on sexual violence.
