MAKING OUR VOICES RING OUT!

The Feminists in Action initiative is a powerful mechanism for empowering feminist organisations in Global South to take action towards building a world that is more respectful of the rights of women and girls.

This initiative is supported by:

what is the point of

supporting feminist organizations?

The right to education, the right to decide about your own body, combating discrimination
and gender-based violence… All over the world, women are uniting and getting organised to
stand up for their fundamental rights and provide concrete solutions for situations that are
often quite tragic.

In the struggle for gender equality, the work of civil society organisations (CSOs) is essential
for achieving a more just society. It is more necessary than ever to provide secure, flexible
and reliable funding for feminist CSOs so that they can take action.

The Covid 19 crisis has led to an unprecedented increase in gender inequality, genderbased violence and financial insecurity for women and girls. It has placed an additional
burden on feminist organisations at a time when their already limited financial resources
have been reduced.

Supporting organisations that work to protect women’s rights in Global South is a collective
challenge that must be addressed at a global level and should not be reduced to simply
‘begging the question’.

Our goals

Support

Facilitate access to finance by bringing secure resources right on the ground. The funds will be used to further strengthen the organisation of CSOs and to implement projects at local, national and regional levels.

Strengthen

Reinforce the technical capacity of feminist CSOs to promote women’s rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women, girls and marginalised communities.

Gather

Promote networking amongst feminist organisations in order to create alliances that encourage learning, enhance skills and carry out joint advocacy activities.

4 AREAS OF ACTIVITY

TO STIR UP THE HORNET'S NEST OF GENDER BIAS

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)

1

Women’s right to control their own bodies is too often denied, challenged or attacked. Access to contraception, menstrual hygiene, maternal health and information for women and young girls are essential issues and rights that must be implemented.

Gender-based violence (GBV)

2

The mobilisation of women’s and feminist organisations is shifting the boundaries to ensure that gender-based discrimination, violence and exclusion, which are still too often considered normal, become unacceptable to everybody. Through activities aimed at awareness-raising, prevention, protection or redress, activists are working to combat the gender stereotypes that claim to justify the persecution of women and girls.

Financially empowering women

3

Gender-based violence is not only physical, it is also financial. The health crisis has further exacerbated women’s financial insecurity. Financial autonomy is the cornerstone of women’s emancipation and a guarantee for achieving freedom from the burden of patriarchy.

Access to rights

4

Women’s rights remain fragile and the laws that protect them are often not enforced. When the law is used as a tool by those who oppress women and where prejudice and belief systems undermine women’s integrity and dignity, women must be able to realise that they have rights and be empowered to claim and protect them.

MAPPING FEMINISTS IN ACTION

Feminists in Action is involved with organisations on the ground in 30 countries around the world!

Who are we

Care France

Equipop

Le Fonds pour les Femmes en Méditerranée

L'Initiative Pananetugri pour le Bien-être de la Femme

Oxfam france

Le Fonds pour les Femmes Francophones XOESE

A fundamentally FEMINIST

INITIATIVE

Since feminist organisations are key players in social change, Feminists in Action has set itself the task of expanding the scope of its activities and consolidating its networks.

The initiative operates across 30 Southern countries where advancing women’s rights is vital and focuses particularly on the specific needs of smaller organisations that have difficulty accessing funding. We aim to provide feminist organisations on the ground with financial resources, but also support their capacity to structure themselves, develop their technical skills and assist in the implementation of joint advocacy activities. Non-competitive calls for expressions of interest between organisations, diversity of profiles, cooperation between members and networking: feminist principles permeate the whole initiative.