The Issue: Environmental issues have a greater impact on women. Although it is recognized that women are critical to implementing sustainable solutions, their voices are often the last to be heard.
Why it matters: Despite the unequal distribution of natural resources and discrimination against women, they are often the main protagonists of social change and environmental conservation in their communities. A sustainable future is only attainable through the empowerment of women-led environmental solutions.
How we create change: Semillas invests in grassroots women to lead environmental justice initiatives in their rural communities. Women and their communities know how to manage their lands and resources better than anyone else, so if we want sustainable solutions to secure secure the conservation of our world, we need to invest in women. Semillas does not work with charitable actions but in building self-reliant women and communities.
About Semillas: Semillas is an organization that supports women’s groups and indigenous leaders with the common goal of improving the status of women in Mexico.
Semillas works with women who are seeking social change and justice:
- Indigenous leaders working to prevent maternal mortality
- Domestic employees fighting for legal protection
- Indigenous women running artisan cooperatives
- Factory (maquila) workers fighting for women to earn equal wages
- Indigenous women striving to attain land rights
What makes Semillas unique as a women’s fund is its capacity to invest in social change with more than just economic resources. By building a panorama of skills, knowledge, tools, and networks for its grantee partners, Semillas provides them with a foundation for achieving greater long-term equality and a more just society.