Fórum Suape empowers women's groups with Dare to Trust-grants
Fórum Suape decided to help several women’s groups in their network. First, they wanted to understand the desires and needs of each group, with the aim of fostering collective thinking and understanding their collective interests and goals. Five groups were selected, one group had difficulty in organizing themselves. They did not move forward and did not receive the money. The other four had wonderful results.
What the members of Fórum Suape noticed was that, in all conversations with the different groups, one common concern stood out: women's mental health. All the women feel overwhelmed by the developments and threats in their areas, especially the women leaders. This impacts every aspect of their lives. Therefore, they wanted to leverage this resource in a way that could help mitigate the feeling of being overwhelmed among the participants.
Empowering by making jam
The women of Quilombo Ilha de Mercês built a small kitchen to produce all kinds of food, for instance guava jam and banana caramelada (a caramel banana cake). A quilombo is a Brazilian settlement established by escaped enslaved people.They share recipes, produce the fruits in their own gardens, sell the food and meet each other in a safe place. Making jam together is also a form of therapy. They invite women to join and turn themselves into entrepreneurs.
One of the women: “When someone might ask, are you going to empower yourself by selling a jar of jam? Yes, I’m going to empower myself by selling a jar of sweets. I made it, I produced it, I’m selling it, I’m meeting new people, I’m making new friends. I want to inspire other women to be strong.”
Watch the full movie (in Portuguese):
A space for women to come together
In one village there was no communal space for women to come together. The men ruled the communal areas and women had no place. With the donation from Dare to Trust, the women from Raízes da Resistência (Roots of Resistance) built their collective community kitchen where they produce jams, jellies, cakes and breads. They saw the potential to create traditional sweets, using artisanal methods such as wood-fired cooking, going against the traditional idea of development. Additionally, they agreed to invest part of the resources in a garden to plant food products. They created a community kitchen called Raízes da Resistência, which is not only a production space but also a place for gathering, sharing, and learning among the women participating.
One of the women: “It was an old dream to have our own kitchen. And every cent has been invested in improving this collective, this space. We believe that it has only strengthened our group even more. We welcome others to come and join us too.”
Watch the full movie (in Portuguese):
Surfing and building bridges
In this town the women group Associação Todas Para o Mar invested in their community centre, where they focus on strengthening women and children through joint sport events. Their many activities are aimed at social transformation and it serves as a welcoming space for everyone—children, women, and the community in general. They upgraded the place with a vegetable garden, musical instruments, sewing machines, educational material like land charts and a classroom where activities can take place such as yoga, capoeira and workshops. They have reached out to 85 children, 120 women and 250 families in the community. They are very passionate about surfing together on the beach while bridging the gap between cultures and skin color.
One of the women: “This is a space for social transformation, especially for black women and children; it‘s a welcoming space for the whole community. It has helped us to keep growing, thriving and embracing more and more people, more women and more children.”
Watch the full movie (in Portuguese):
Uniting fisherwomen for joint mobilisation
The fisherwomen of Mangue Mulher in the town of Itapojuca, state of Pernambuco, have seen a rapid decline of fish in their fishing waters. Large scale dredging for a port in the area has diminished the fish stock enormously and left the women without income. With the donation from Dare to Trust, they rented a community room where the women can meet, share experiences and work together. The goal was combating environmental racism and social exclusion—issues already present in their daily lives. This process, in addition to fostering autonomy and collective strength, was also important for the group’s safety in a region marked by territorial conflicts. As a result of the Dare to Trust project, they increased their capacity for organising, resource mobilisation and political advocacy.
One of the women : “This space for us is a cosy, caring, supportive space and a space for us to share our daily lives.”
Watch the full movie (in Portuguese):
For more information
Read more about this subject
-
Dossier /
Dare to Trust: the power of unconditional funding
At Both ENDS we cherish our long-term relationships with partners in our global network. These relationships are based on equality and built on trust. The trust we have in each other has developed from years of strategic cooperation, including joint advocacy around common agendas, knowledge…
-
Publication / 1 April 2025
-
Dossier /
Seeking justice for the affected communities of Vale’s mining disasters in Mariana and Brumadinho
In 2015 and 2019, the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais experienced two severe mining tragedies in Mariana and Brumadinho, due to the same mining company: Vale. Since then, the affected communities have been seeking justice, via the criminal punishment of the responsible parties, and a fair compensation for the loss of their loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods. Both ENDS supports local CSOs by amplifying their quest for justice within an international audience and, more specifically, by raising awareness amongst Dutch investors in Vale about the high risks this company’s…
-
Dossier /
Towards a socially and environmentally just energy transition
To address the climate crisis we need to urgently transition away from fossil fuels towards clean, renewable energy. However, this transition is not only about changing energy sources. It requires an inclusive and fair process that tackles systemic inequalities and demanding consumption patterns…
-
Blog / 30 January 2025
Brumadinho’s painful “seas of mud”
By Carolina de Moura
Six years ago, Brumadinho tailings dam I, from the Paraopeba Complex, owned by mining company Vale, collapsed. January 25th, 2019, forever changed the lives of thousands. The scars remain open, and the quest for justice, remembrance, and prevention of future mining crimes endures despite all adversities. This was manslaughter coupled with socio-environmental devastation of proportions difficult to measure. These are irreparable losses and damages that could have been avoided if it wasn’t for the greed, negligence, and irresponsibility of decision-makers at Vale, the German…
-
News / 24 December 2024
LILAK's Dare to Trust projects: Dreams transformed into actions
LILAK has worked alongside indigenous women communities for over a decade, focusing on building capacity and advocating for rights to land, the environment, and bodily autonomy. Despite gaining recognition and trust from allies, the journey was challenging. Starting with limited resources, LILAK faced resistance, particularly from patriarchal leaders and the state, which often labeled them as adversaries. Nevertheless, they adapted and…
-
News / 24 December 2024
Dare to Trust: a journey of culture, renewal, and empowerment of Sengwer women
Historically, the Sengwer community has lived in harmony with their environment, relying on forest resources for sustenance and integrating conservation into their daily lives. However, recent government policies aimed at forest protection have limited their access to these ancestral lands. Although these regulations intend to protect the environment, they often disregard the traditional conservation practices of indigenous communities like the Sengwer, who have been natural stewards of these lands for generations. Faced with these restrictions, the Segerger Women’s Conservation…
-
News / 24 December 2024
Dare to Trust: Sowing dreams irrigated with droplets of trust (Colectivo CASA)
Collectivo CASA in Bolivia, with support from Both ENDS and Dare to Trust, found great satisfaction in assisting women defenders with personal and economic needs. This support allowed the women to express their needs and develop a shared vision for their improvement. Although managing funds sustainably posed challenges, the women defenders demonstrated their skills by quickly creating a “Plan for Good Living,” (“Buen Vivir” in Spanish)…
-
News / 24 December 2024
NTFP-EP supports grassroots women’s organisations with Dare to Trust-grants
The pilot of Dare to Trust, facilitated by NTFP-EP, was implemented in two grassroots women’s organisations in the Philippines and Cambodia. The Dare to Trust project provided them with the independence to utilize the resources they have and thus handed to them the agency for more grounded and better judgment. By giving more liberty to the communities we are moving them away from bureaucratic processes and power structures, and…
-
News / 23 December 2024
Dare to Trust: LSD supports women to speak up after losing their houses
Lumière Synergie pour Développement (LSD) has helped 63 individual women who all have had problems due to the development of a controversial train project (TER) in Senegal and a recent big earthquake. These communities are displaced by the train project, involuntarily resettled, their property…
-
News / 23 December 2024
Dare to Trust: Beneficiaries Tell Success Stories of Kebetkache's Empowerment Project
The Dare to Trust-initiative, led by Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre with support from Both ENDS, empowers individuals with business potential who face financial constraints. The program has successfully supported 40 beneficiaries, enabling them to grow their businesses…
-
News / 23 December 2024
Dare to Trust: Mama Sorghum Peace Movement Maintains Biodiversity
Yasores as an organisation was supported by the Samdhana Institute in our Dare to Trust-project, a no-strings-attached way of funding. The only administrative duty was to send a creative report about the activities. The Samdhana Institute send this story about the history and founding of…
-
News / 23 December 2024
Dare to Trust: WoMin supports women's livelihoods in Madagascar
In the Dare to Trust project, WOMIN South Africa has worked with local women’s, youth and farmer groups in Madagascar. They worked on increasing…
-
News / 23 December 2024
Dare to Trust: RWA Eswatini agroecology centre
In the Kingdom of Eswatini, rural women have been the custodians of local and indigenous seeds and preserving biodiversity for generations. Officially founded in 2011, the Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly (SRWA) has brought together over 20.000 women across the country to reclaim their traditional knowledge of seed sharing. In the Dare to Trust project, the SRWA has developed a new Agroecology Demonstration Center as a learning…
-
News / 23 December 2024
Dare to Trust: Our stories (Instituto Cordilheira)
Instituto Cordilheira in Brazil has a vast network of grassroot organisations in Brazil. With a lot of creativity they were able to assist many of them with…
-
Event / 12 December 2024, 13:00 - 14:30
Exploring new avenues of CSO participation in UNCCD processes
Enhancing inclusivity within UNCCD processes and its implementation by strengthening the involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) and…
-
Event / 11 December 2024, 13:00 - 14:30
Making strategic impact: Shifting resources and power to women-led initiatives for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
How donors, foundations and other funders can better support women-led initiatives in achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), focusing on…
-
Letter / 9 December 2024
People and the Planet Entebbe Declaration: Reclaiming investment frameworks for people and the planet
The time for change is now. Civil society demands international investment
frameworks that are aligned with economic justice, social and environmental
sustainability, and the needs of communities worldwide. -
Event / 4 December 2024, 18:00 - 19:30
Enhancing the role of civil society in the UNCCD to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
Effective local action by land-using communities is at the heart of achieving LDN globally. However, their contributions are often not well recognized or adequately supported by governments and other agencies. Within the UNCCD framework, civil society organisations play a key role in engaging with policymakers in the context of recognizing and supporting these contributions by local communities. The side event will engage participants in a GEF-supported joint Drynet/ IUCN initiative to enhance the capacities of civil society to engage effectively in the achieving Land Degradation Neutrality…
-
News / 2 December 2024
Ten recommendations for the UNCCD COP16 to strengthen its efforts in combating desertification, land degradation, and drought
For decades, our local partner organisations have been developing and promoting effective ways to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought. This includes regions like the drylands, as well as forests, and wetlands. Supporting these locally-led actions is essential to reversing negative trends. For COP16, Drynet has developed 10 recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the UNCCD. Success at COP16 would mean turning these recommendations into action, fostering inclusive land governance and sustainable land management practices globally. By enabling locally-led…