AMPLIFY FALL 2013 GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN S ACTIVITIES AND IMPACT

Transcription

1 AMPLIFY FALL 2013 GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN S ACTIVITIES AND IMPACT

2 Collaborates with peer groups to organize collective efforts. Is well-networked with influential stakeholders in its community and/or region. Tackles difficult or controversial issues. Has limited access to funding. Benefits marginalized populations. GLOBAL FUND GRANTEE INCREASING MOMENTUM FOR CHANGE We are thrilled to share this report on our work over the past year our 25th anniversary year that illustrates why the Global Fund for Women continues to be one of the most respected women s rights funders in the world. The report shows a snapshot of the inspirational accomplishments of our grantee partners and, because how we do our work is just as important as what we do, it also highlights the core strategies we use to find and fund the most impactful women-led organizations across the world. We are proud of what we have accomplished over the past 25 years, but also know how far we still have to go and we need you with us. The Global Fund could not continue this work without the support of our generous donors. You inspire and energize us. Thank you. Ensuring our impact Global Fund grantees have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize, be elected to parliament, overthrow oppressive regimes, and end wars. We are able to find, fund, and collaborate with women-led groups who employ creative and groundbreaking strategies to address challenges that women and girls face in their communities. We do this by conducting an extensive due diligence process that looks for the following criteria in the women s organizations we fund: CONNECTED WOMEN-LED Is led by women. RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH Understands root causes of women s lack of power and agency. Is seen as a trusted, legitimate actor within its community. Uses a rights-based approach. 1 Contributes to the larger women s movement. Implements multiple strategies to promote women s rights and shift power that are consistent with regional trends and Global Fund priorities. Conducts advocacy. GIRLS BREAKING THE MOLD Around the world, a range of physical and psychological abuse maintains girls bottom-rung status across societies. Social messages about worthlessness are reinforced by a denial of education and even basic information about their bodies and health. This is why the Global Fund implements an integrated program focused on empowering girls both inside and outside the classroom. Research shows that investing in girls education delivers huge returns for women s health, economic development, political participation, disease prevention, and more. Half of our grants last year, totaling $4.3 million, specifically targeted young women and girls. More girls in school Last year we supported 65 grantee partners across 29 countries promoting girls access to formal education. First, 56 groups conducted public education and advocacy campaigns focused on the benefits of girls education in order to change the mindsets of parents and community elders. With parents support and willingness to send girls to school, 64% of groups provided direct services in the form of books, school supplies, and scholarships, and many also offered bridge courses to help out-of-school girls catch up on years they missed. Making sure that schools are safe and comfortable places for girls to be is an essential piece of retention, which is why we supported 145 groups offering counseling and legal aid to girls who experience harassment or assault. For example, Girl Child Network Uganda recently began operating a counseling unit in response to the overwhelming number of abuse cases that girls were reporting; it has already counseled 1,000 girls. Education that spans beyond Girls need more than what s offered in traditional curriculum if they are to understand their human rights within societies intent on keeping them invisible. When given safe spaces to ask questions, girls want to know about their bodies. Last year, the Global Fund supported 131 groups providing education and information on girls reproductive and sexual health, including information on contraception, HIV/AIDS, and sexual identity and rights. Together, these groups reached over 170,000 girls. Nearly half of groups with girl-centered programming also provided leadership courses, science and computer literacy, and life-skills training to give girls a diverse education that equips them to make healthy and independent choices about their lives and futures. I want to do my best to create a space for [girls] to get answers. 21-YEAR OLD, ELVIRA MELIKSETYAN, PROGRAM LEADER AT WOMEN S RESOURCE CENTER Women s Resource Center, an Armenian grantee, has observed dramatic changes in the behavior of girls participating in its Girl Talk sessions. Girls are more vocal and confident and, for the first time ever, charting out their own futures. WRC reaches 3,000 girls each year, and is funded as part of our participation in the Nike Foundation s Grassroots Girls Initiative. Proper facilities are important to keeping girls in school. NISHTHA, in India, has constructed over 1,000 sanitary latrines so girls can attend school during menstruation. Your renewed support will help NISHTHA broaden its girls education program to combat forced early marriage. 1 A rights-based approach seeks to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of all individuals. It is different from other approaches to development aid (needs based, charity lens, service provision) by focusing on the right to inclusion, access, equality, and participation and by confronting discrimination, lack of resources, and violence as the underlying causes obstructing women s rights and dignity.

3 BUILDING A MOVEMENT In order to create positive social change, the Global Fund facilitates portfolios of groups that are using a diversity of strategies. This diversity is well illustrated in a tool called the Change Matrix 2, shown below. Over the course of our 25-year history, the Global Fund has proven successful because we fund groups working in all four quadrants of the matrix, ensuring a well networked community sustaining a movement toward gender equality. INDIVIDUAL CHANGE 1 AWARENESS Rural women s challenges are compounded by isolation, which is why the Global Fund has prioritized funding to rural women s groups since our founding groups like Minga Perú. For 13 years, Minga Perú has played a powerful role in the fight for women s rights in rural communities of the Peruvian Amazon by producing a radio program addressing gender violence and women s health. The organization has reached thousands of listeners; trained 40 civil society organizations on women s human rights; and implemented a community-based program that prepared over 1,000 women to be promoters of women s rights. As a result, communities throughout the Amazon have seen an increase in the number of women reporting abuse and a decrease in violence towards women. Men are also listening and participating in discussions. Listeners say that two words violence and equality were never spoken before Minga Perú came along. INFORMAL EDUCATION (HEALTH, LEGAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC) WOMEN S RIGHTS EDUCATION 126 SPORTS & BODY MOVEMENT THERAPY 306 INDIVIDUAL SKILLS BUILDING & TRAINING 286 PUBLIC EDUCATION & INFORMATION SHARING 186 LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FORMAL EDUCATION EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN CONFLICT, WAR, & SOCIAL/ POLITICAL UNREST EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN NATURAL DISASTERS COUNSELING & ADVICE DIRECT SERVICE 2 ACCESS TO RESOURCES Last year, we finished our two-year sustainable agriculture initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa, which increased women s and girls access to basic resources including food, education, land, and decision making spaces. Overall, the 22 grantees reported increased agriculture production, income, nutrition in the household, and access to fresh and affordable vegetables. With access to basic resources and sources of income, women also gained confidence and enhanced status in their communities, which is leading to more women speaking out 15 women participants in Uganda are using their new skills to influence government and civic action. They formed an advocacy group and successfully petitioned local leaders to address roads in need of repair and high rates of school dropouts among girls. INFORMAL 55 TECHNOLOGY FORMAL 3 ADAPTATION OF LAWS AND POLICIES LINKING STREET ART THEATER 84 WRITTEN MEDIA ADVOCACY 170 KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION: RESEARCH/ DOCUMENTATION/ PUBLICATIONS NETWORKING ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING At the beginning of 2013, the eyes of the world were on India where the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman prompted widespread protests. The Global Fund has strengthened the women s rights movement in India since 1989, investing nearly $1 million in groups working to end gender-based violence in the country. Because of our steadfast support, Global Fund grantees in India were able to harness the momentum created by global outrage. They quickly organized and raised awareness about the depth of violence that Indian women face every day, successfully urging the Indian government to ensure legal protections for women. Three Global Fund grantees provided recommendations to the Justice Verma Committee that were included in the final document delivered to the Indian government, which became India s new gender-based violence law in March MULTI-MEDIA: FILM/TV/RADIO LITERARY PRODUCTION SYSTEMIC CHANGE POLICY REFORM & IMPLEMENTATION 58 4 SHIFTS IN CULTURAL NORMS, BELIEFS, AND PRACTICES Since 1989, the Global Fund has invested over $10.5 million in 374 groups working to change homophobic cultural beliefs in 83 countries, including in at least 10 nations that criminalize homosexuality. Last year, we saw great strides in Turkey where attendance at the pride parade doubled and a Global Fund LGBTIQ-rights grantee was invited to speak at Parliament. These changes in cultural values are leading to real policy changes. In December 2012, the UN released a report urging countries to enact comprehensive anti-discrimination laws. Over the past year, six countries legalized gay marriage, including Uruguay and Brazil where the Global Fund has long supported groups working to advance LGBTIQ rights and shift cultural attitudes. 2 A tool originally developed by Aruna Rao and David Kelleher at Gender@Work and adapted by Srilatha Batliwala and Alexandra Pittman in Capturing Change in Women s Realities: A Critical Overview of Current Monitoring & Evaluation Frameworks and Approaches, AWID, Committee created by the Indian government to propose amendments to the criminal law.

4 Two of our grantees in Sub-Saharan Africa worked with former circumcisers and traditional leaders to develop safe alternatives for female initiation into adulthood. Then, they shared their ideas with other villages and policy makers. We awarded our first grant in the former Yugoslavia in 1990, just before the 10-year wars began, and maintained our support throughout the conflict. Today, one of our long- time grantees in the region is leading the Women s Court Initiative to seek justice for thousands of women who experienced violence during the war. The Court has the potential to redefine how international bodies deal with gender justice in reconciliation. Public proceedings are set to begin in 2014 your support will ensure that this historic campaign continues. ZERO VIOLENCE Violence against women and girls remains a global epidemic. This past year, the violent backlash against women across the Middle East and North Africa sparked global outrage; this was one snapshot of the larger culture of violence that permeates the daily lives of women and girls around the world. The Global Fund has been working to address the root cause of violence for over 25 years. Here are stories that receive less coverage and what we are doing to change the narrative: Keeping women safe in the midst of conflict In regions with active conflict, violence against women and girls is sometimes used by militia as a method of war. 4 The Global Fund is often the first funder of women s organizations working in conflict zones. Last year, we provided grants to 47 groups working to protect women s rights across 20 countries in the midst of conflict. The groups provided essential direct services like medical treatment, counseling, and safe shelter, while also organizing regular public education campaigns to raise awareness of challenges women face in conflict. Making sure women have the skills they need to negotiate amidst their unstable surrounding is also important, which is why 87% of groups also held diverse trainings covering topics from literacy and vocational skills to political participation and peace-building. Ending violence perpetrated in the name of tradition Around the world, a number of violent practices are interlinked with tradition, including female genital mutilation/circumcision (FGM), breast ironing, and honor killings. Last year, we supported 126 groups working in 48 countries to challenge deeply embedded cultural beliefs that are harmful to women and girls. Given that the abuse is often performed through underground networks or in rural areas, a key strategy groups use is to document and research prevalence and its long-term harmful effects. This information was particularly useful for 83% of the groups who used it to push local leaders, government officials, and traditional authority figures for changes in policies, laws, and customs. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS The Global Fund for Women s financial health remains strong. We are proud to report that our total revenue was $17.1 million. We continued to mobilize resources for women s human rights by awarding nearly $9 million in grants the highest level of grantmaking in the Global Fund s history. We have a diverse range of supporters with 51% of gifts coming from individuals. We continue to secure funds for the future, as demonstrated by a stable net asset position of $20 million. We continue to maintain a low administrative expense ratio of 7%. 76 cents of every dollar raised is spent directly on programmatic activities. Our programmatic activities include grantmaking, convenings, capacity building, advocacy, and evaluation. Our 25th Anniversary Gala celebration in New York City raised $1.6 million. Five years of our audited financial statements and IRS reporting, including the year ended June 30, 2013, are posted on our website: who-we-are/financial-highlights. TOTAL EXPENSES TOTAL REVENUE & SUPPORT In-kind and Other 3% Investments 8% Program Services 24% GLOBAL FUND GRANTEES HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN SECURING THE PASSAGE OF ANTI-VIOLENCE LAWS IN 25 COUNTRIES THAT CURRENTLY PROTECT OVER Management & General 7% Grants 52% Individuals 51% Foundations/Other Organizations 32% 1 BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS 5 Fundraising 17% Corporations 2% Government/ Multilateral 4% 4 Violence against women is often used to achieve military or political objectives during conflict, particularly by extremist groups opposed to women s active role in society. Rape, in particular, is intended to terrorize the population, break up families, destroy communities, and, in some instances, change the ethnic make-up of the next generation as described by the United Nations. 5 This data came from an external evaluation of the Global Fund s 25 years of grantmaking. The evaluation was conducted by Stanford University and SVT Group.

5 AMPLIFY YOUR SUPPORT Last year, two-thirds of the qualified applications we received could not be funded due to funding constraints. As a result, we were NOT able to support hundreds of current grantees doing important work such as: Trainings for over 3,000 women with disabilities to participate in civic and electoral processes in Zimbabwe. Psychological counseling and health and medical services for the lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in Ukraine. A legal research institute to tackle legal and human rights violations against women in Afghanistan. The work of the Global Fund is not about changing the life of one woman or girl it s about supporting an international community of women s rights activists. You are an essential partner in this movement. Make a donation this year and together we will increase our collective voice. Thank You!