This week, we join the global community in celebrating Women Entrepreneurship Day, a day dedicated to recognizing and empowering women who are turning their dreams into successful businesses. In our ongoing commitment to support women entrepreneurs through the S(HE) Matters project, this year we highlight the journeys of two remarkable women whose lives were transformed […]
To observe this year’s International Day of Rural Women, our S(HE) Matters project hosted a sanitary pad-making workshop for 40 farm workers in Mazowe District, Zimbabwe, in partnership with the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) facilitated by Pad Up Zimbabwe. Besides helping reduce period poverty, the workshop aimed at improving menstrual […]
Free to Be Me’s Economic Empowerment Pathway demonstrates a more targeted approach to tackling the economic marginalization of LGBTIQ+ communities, especially in the Global South, amidst post-COVID economic challenges and the intensification of anti-rights movements. It aligns the advocacy efforts toward policy change, skills development, and job creation with both global and national actors, specifically […]
Last August, the Philippine Free to be Me (F2BM) Communities of Action (CoA) convened at Manila for pivotal Training on Lobbying and Campaigns. The training centered on the World Bank Group’s 2024-2030 Gender Strategy, with gender advocacy organizations identifying crucial opportunities for alignment and potential funding. The F2BM Philippine CoA is a coalition of LGBTIQ+ […]
Recently, the Free to Be Me team was invited to the inauguration of Nadharia Vocational Center in Nairobi. An organization that falls under the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund and focuses on LGBTIQ+ economic empowerment, Nadharia CBO opened its Vocational Center with a number of inspiring speeches, captivating storytelling and also just plain fun! During the evening […]
If you have not heard it on the news, you would have read about it on social media. Lebanon is at war. As some of you may already know, October 7, 2023, marked a new chapter in the Middle East with the Israel-Hamas conflict, ultimately spilling into Lebanon and upscaling regional and international tensions. Ever […]
Free to Be Me’s recent Pathway 4 Strategy and World Bank Advocacy Workshop began with a sense of optimism as we dove into equipping LGBTIQ+ advocates with the tools and knowledge to effectively implement the Pathway towards socio-economic empowerment for LGBTQI+ persons. Held in Nairobi, the workshop brought together LGBTIQ+ advocates from nine countries to […]
Hivos has signed the open call for a ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon, and Israel and an end to impunity in this spiraling humanitarian catastrophe and escalating regional conflict. Read the statement below, signed by over 150 NGOs. We, the undersigned organizations, appeal to all UN member states to secure an immediate ceasefire across Gaza, Lebanon, […]
This October, our Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Fund program hosted a three-day event to share ideas on improving SRHR service provision for young people. In attendance were partners, government representatives, civil society organizations and young people from Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Working with the program’s partners Restless Development (Zimbabwe) […]
The power of the media to set an agenda, share information and be an educational tool is vital in Hivos’ work. Breaking down technical aspects of our programs into everyday language that anyone understands is critical for stakeholder engagement and the impact we want to achieve. Three of our programs in Zambia recently organized a […]
Hivos announces that Anne Jellema will step down from her role as Chief Executive Officer. She will leave per January 1, 2025 to join 350.org as their new Executive Director. During Anne’s two years as CEO, Hivos strengthened its external voice; deepened its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; expanded partnerships with new funders; and […]
We’re excited to announce the upcoming Financing for Feminist Futures conference! Are you an activist, researcher, policymaker, donor, or member of a civil society organization who wants to make gender equality a reality for all? Join us in Madrid next year to connect, share ideas, and strategize on how to secure more and better funding […]