SOLIDARITY & SUPPORT

We prioritize this work because:

  • The sustained attacks on the work of feminists, womn human rights activists, womn human rights defenders and their formations will likely escalate in the next decade as movements deepen and expand their organizing post a covid19 global health, social, economic, political and spiritual crises. The need for solidarity with, and support to, these individuals and groups will escalate dramatically and will be sustained throughout this strategic period.
  • The quality of solidarity and support to these individuals and formations has to be sustained with clear results and impacts that enable them to continue to do their work when they are ready, whilst attending to their needs for health, wellness, safety and healing.
  • Feminists and womn’s rights activists are organizing, strengthening, and building their movements across the continent. This will continue to happen with or without our support. A significant element of their work as movements is geared towards systems of oppression, the root causes of multiple and intersecting oppressions against womn. This is critical for the kind of change we as feminists seek to contribute to – transformative change.
  • The absence of, reduction in and/or failure to increase the support for and solidarity with these womn, their groups and organisations will impact negatively on the strength and capability of feminist and womn’s movements to advance systemic change.
  • Whilst we cannot and should not be doing this work directly ourselves, our contribution to these individuals, groups and organisations create impact at  personal, ideological, institutional and systemic/structural levels. This combination of impacts holds the most promise for transformative change.
  • There are no other organizations on the continent focused on this base, addressing the need for funding for urgent actions by feminists and womns rights activists.
  • We have built up a base of knowledge, skill, experience, tools, institutional memory, systems, and infrastructure to do this work well and to do it in a sustained way. This is the reason we were established and why we have been sustained over time and still exist today. It is therefore the one thing we would and must focus on in the contexts in which our movements are operating and will continue to organise.

Objective

To demonstrate solidarity and support to individual feminist-activists and womn human rights defenders and their formations in Africa in situations requiring urgent action so that they are able to continue to advance an Africa where womn live in freedom and dignity and enjoy their human rights.

Area of Work

Accompaniment: Refers to work with grant and strategic partners to demonstrate solidarity outside of funding support. It may be direct or indirect walking alongside, offering or ensuring access to personal, political and technical support

Grant-making: Refers to rapid response and advocacy funding to grant partners and relevant and appropriate support linked to the grant and its purposes

Linking and learning: Refers to the work of connecting individuals, groups, ideas, projects and visions to strengthen learning and solidarity as part of movement building