AWID Forums constitute an exciting point of convergence—for ideas, perspectives, experiences, partnerships and commitments representing diverse sectors within feminist and gender justice movements. As such, AWID feels strongly that ideas need to become realities and that women’s rights and feminist activist organizations must be the ones working together to lead these changes.
That is why we created the AWID’s Innovation Seed Initiatives after the 2002 Forum.
The present report reveals how ideas generated at the 2012 Forum and supported by an AWID’s Innovation Seed Initiatives have far-reaching benefits and ripple effects.
Exploring strategies, analysing the impact
This report presents a comprehensive summary and analysis of the post 2012 AWID Forum Innovation Seed initiatives implemented on themes related to Transforming Economic Power to Advance Women’s Rights and Justice.
Through an aggregate analysis you will learn about the diverse strategies, methodologies and activities undertaken by the Seed Initiatives recipients in 2013 and 2014. The descriptions of each grecipients' key achievements, impact and lessons learned reveal how the idea generated at the 2012 Forum now benefits their communities and beyond.
These initiatives contributed to filling knowledge gaps, raising awareness, and enhancing capacity and economic opportunities for women’s rights and feminist organizations.
A sample of themes includes:
- strengthening the capacity of home-based women workers in Turkey to defend their rights;
- workshops for sex workers in Myanmar to open bank accounts to increase their economic power;
- publication of a resource manual and workshops with rural Mexican women to prepare their participation in a national gathering on feminist economics ;
- research on Palestinian women within the Israeli civil service;
- formation of a trade union in India led by young women that is exposing rights violations within the coolie system;
- an educational institute on economic justice for Caribbean women;
- use of comics for social and gender justice education in Nigeria;
- survey and publication of findings on resources for women’s funds in Kosovo;
- and research on practices of food sovereignty and the care economy in Chile culminating in educational radio programs.
Who were involved?
Recipients represent diversities within women’s rights and feminist organizing including among sex workers, young women, garment worker trade unionists, home-care workers, environmentalists, rural agriculture and fisherfolk, grassroots, economists, Roma, and trans people.
AWID’s Innovation Seed Initiatives
What is it?
AWID’s Innovation Seed Initiatives have been a tradition dating back to the 2002 Guadalajara Forum. The Seed Initiatives consist of small startup funds of USD 5,000 each, awarded after an application process, to selected organisations who have attended the most recent AWID Forum and present an original initiative inspired by the Forum theme.
What is it used for?
AWID’s post Forum Seed Initiatives emerge as one way to kick start a process, try out an idea, build connections and gather additional support to carry out a more long term transformative processes.
The post 2012 Forum seed initiatives funding helped to lay the foundations to pursue more long term advocacy, policy influencing, alliance building, and awareness raising activities aimed at strengthening women’s rights advocates’ and organizations’ ability to transform economic power.
Meet the 2013 Seed Initiatives recipients
Learn more about 4 initiatives from 2013 that that focused on advancing the rights of sex workers