Challenges: Women continue to face numerous challenges that marginalize their participation in the political sphere. Gender stereotypes, lack of access, and socio-economic barriers hinder their involvement in climate negotiations. Shockingly, more than 150 countries still have laws that discriminate against women, exacerbating the need for change and gender equality.
Action: She Changes Climate campaigns for the equal inclusion of women at top levels of all climate negotiations. They actively advocate for the implementation of the updated Gender Action Plan (GAP) from COP25, calling on officials to fulfill their commitment to promoting gender equality in the UNFCCC process.
Influence: She Changes Climate provides valuable support to diplomats behind the scenes, working to appoint more women into leadership roles at Conferences of the Parties (COPs). By providing data, connections, and solutions, they contribute to improving diversity and highlight the benefits of a more inclusive leadership team.
Campaign: Through media endorsement and leveraging social media platforms, She Changes Climate galvanizes public support and opinion. They host impactful events to develop momentum and drive new thinking around gender equality in climate action. Virtual summits further amplify organizations that understand and address environmental and gender diversity issues within their respective regions.
Collaboration: She Changes Climate fosters collaboration between other gender and environmental groups. By calibrating messaging for maximum effect, they ensure a united front in advocating for gender equality in climate action. They actively listen to the voices of local activists, endorse inspiring practices, and unite diverse organizations and individuals through their informal community platform.
Amplification: Empowering women to find their own platforms and voices for gender issues that concern them is at the heart of She Changes Climate’s work. They also collaborate with change-makers from around the world, strengthening their capacity and equipping them with the necessary resources to actualize their visions for a more gender-equal world. The organization plans to co-develop a set of guiding principles that all partner organizations can champion, uniting all allies under a joint messaging strategy.
She Changes Climate firmly believes that diversity and equity in leadership are key to effective climate action that protects both people and the planet.
Join ConnectAID in supporting She Changes Climate’s efforts to create a sustainable and inclusive future for all.
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https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/she-changes-climate/feed/02483The Antara Foundation
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-antara-foundation/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-antara-foundation/#respondTue, 23 May 2023 12:37:58 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=2192The Antara Foundation (TAF) is a nonprofit organization registered in India, supported by its US-based NGO, Antara International. TAF designs and delivers public health innovations that strengthen the rural health system in India. It tackles the massive and neglected health challenge of maternal and child mortality and malnutrition in India’s most marginalised populations. TAF delivers solutions at scale to improve maternal and child health outcomes by partnering with the government and communities.
The Antara Foundation helps frontline health workers use and manage data to prioritize and track high-risk women and children
They build efficiency within the existing system by supporting the three frontline healthcare workers (FLWs) – ANM, ASHA, and Anganwadi workers to work as a team to identify such women and children, verify their information across departments, and prioritize and track services. To enable this, we give FLWs better tools and training and work with them to solve their daily challenges. In addition to the frontline workers, we work closely with their supervisors to build their managerial capacity and empower them to make smart decisions.
The organization builds the capacity of health workers
Insufficient knowledge and skills of health workers often act as a roadblock to quality care. TAF provides targeted training to frontline health workers and nursing staff to solve this. This ensures the proper identification and management of preventable health conditions at the village level, safer deliveries, and complication management in the labour rooms.
The organization also strengthens the individual and collective agency of rural women
Socio-economic barriers such as superstitions, social norms, and lack of awareness often deter positive health-seeking behaviour. We work with local women and community representatives to improve awareness, collectivisation, and agency. Empowered communities can address these invisible barriers and ensure the uptake of essential care.
The Antara Foundation partners with state governments to catalyze system-level change. TAF collaborates closely with communities of frontline workers – the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist), Anganwadi Worker and ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife). TAF enables the use of data and problem-solving tools among frontline health workers, improves labor room standards, upskills all frontline workers and health staff and creates village-level change agents.
]]>https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-antara-foundation/feed/02192The Big Wild
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-big-wild/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-big-wild/#respondWed, 19 Apr 2023 10:25:42 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=2543The Big Wild is a nonprofit member of ConnectAID that is dedicated to harnessing innovation and technology to address the urgent challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and societal well-being. Their mission is to stop the 6th mass extinction through the collection, collaboration, and conservation of nature-based data. With a focus on leveraging disruptive AI, ML, and GIS technology, The Big Wild strives to bring data to life for tangible and immediate impact.
The Issue
The world is facing an unprecedented threat to biodiversity and the delicate balance of our ecosystems. Climate change, habitat loss, and human activities are driving the decline of numerous species and compromising the health of our planet. Urgent action is required to address these challenges and create sustainable solutions for the preservation of our Climate, Environment, and Society.
Action and Impact
The Big Wild takes a proactive approach to conservation by actively collecting and annotating nature-based data using cutting-edge technology. Through their efforts, they rapidly transform raw data into actionable insights with extreme accuracy. This enables them to provide real-time information that can drive targeted conservation strategies and support decision-making processes.
A significant aspect of their work involves collaboration with local and indigenous communities. The Big Wild recognizes the value of their traditional knowledge and their role as stewards of the land. By engaging these communities, they unlock otherwise inaccessible data and empower them to contribute to viable and impactful solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), 15 (Life on Land), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Through their dedication to SDG 15 – Life on Land, The Big Wild actively contributes to the preservation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems and the protection of biodiversity. By collecting and analyzing data on endangered wildlife, habitat degradation, and the impact of human activities, they generate crucial information that fuels conservation efforts. This emotional connection to SDG 15 drives their commitment to creating a sustainable and thriving planet for current and future generations.
September 2017. Batwa guide, Machate Emanuel, leads the Buniga Community Forest Trail tour in his local language, The Batwa Pygmies were evicted from their home lands in the forest in the early 1990s when the National Parks were established, leaving them landless and poor in a society that saw them as a lower class. Today some of them try to make ends meet by hosting trail walks; cultural tours that include examples of where and how they use to live in the forest as well as singing, dancing, and handicrafts for sale. Nkuringo, Uganda. Photograph by Jason Houston
The Big Wild has also undertaken a groundbreaking Wetlands project, focusing on the creation and restoration of wetlands using innovative technology and community engagement. Wetlands are crucial ecosystems that support biodiversity, provide habitat for diverse species, and contribute to water filtration and conservation. To facilitate this important work, The Big Wild has developed the Wetlands 4 Life app. This app revolutionizes how agricultural landowners and communities address environmental challenges by streamlining the process of constructing or rebuilding wetlands. With its user-friendly interface and step-by-step questionnaire, the app empowers landowners to create direct water filtration systems, reduce environmental impact, and secure cleaner water for crops, contributing to sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation.
Through partnerships with individuals, organizations, foundations, and corporations, The Big Wild actively works towards conserving our Climate, Environment, and Society. By combining their technological expertise, collaboration, and shared vision, they strive to halt the loss of biodiversity and ensure a sustainable future for all. The impact of ConnectAID’s nonprofit Member’s work is far-reaching. By providing accurate wildlife conservation data in a timely manner, they contribute to the preservation of endangered species, protection of habitats, and informed decision-making for sustainable development. Through their commitment to transparency, environmental responsibility, education, and collaboration, they aim to inspire change, nurture compassion, and drive a collective effort to safeguard our planet and its rich biodiversity.
Together with ConnectAID, we invite you to join us in supporting The Big Wild’s vital mission. Your contribution can make a significant difference in our fight against the 6th mass extinction, bringing us closer to a world where nature thrives, the environment is protected, and societies flourish in harmony with our planet.
]]>https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-big-wild/feed/02543Migration Consortium: Leading the Way in Ukrainian Refugee Assistance in Poland
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/migration-consortium-leading-the-way-in-ukrainian-refugee-assistance-in-poland/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/migration-consortium-leading-the-way-in-ukrainian-refugee-assistance-in-poland/#respondTue, 30 Aug 2022 11:40:43 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=1348Since 2017, a group of nine established non-governmental organizations (NGOs) known as the Migration Consortium have been working together to lead the response to the needs of refugees at the Polish border near Ukraine. The Consortium’s collective impact has enabled them to support each other and build on common experiences, resulting in more efficient assistance to the communities and immigrants they work with. Their focus is on coordinating services and integrating Ukrainian refugees into Polish society by sharing knowledge, skills, and capacity with other partners, including public institutions and civil society organizations.
The challenges facing the Consortium are significant. More than 4.6 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with more than 10 million finding refuge in Poland. Countless civil society organizations have provided the refugees with the bare essentials, but there is a need for consistent and ongoing support beyond this. Host agencies must create sustainable social, legal, and economic structures that foster the integration of refugees into society, especially on local levels. This requires professionals to meet a wide array of needs, from education to law, housing, medical care, social services, and more.
The Consortium’s members have responded to this crisis with a range of services and initiatives aimed at helping refugees. During the first month of the Russian invasion, member organizations offered their help to more than 23,000 Ukrainian refugees in many different ways. For example, the Polish Hospitality Foundation facilitated the transport of the most vulnerable people from Ukraine to Poland. The Polish Migration Forum set up a network of 20 psychologists working in refugee shelters in Warsaw. The Our Choice Foundation started a 24/7 refugee hotline in Ukrainian language, and the Homo Faber Association manages a humanitarian aid center in Lublin together with the city hall. The Association for Legal Intervention set up an online platform addressing all legal questions in three languages (Ukrainian, English, and Polish) available to refugees and volunteers.
The Migration Consortium’s assistance goes beyond one-on-one meetings and has a systemic approach. Countless refugees have benefited from their collective and coordinated assistance. The Consortium also aims to work together to offer general and systemic solutions to refugees in Poland. They present ideas and good practices of integration to the local and national administration, expose new issues when they appear, and provide tools to mitigate them. They support local governments and communities to help them integrate the refugees, advise and coordinate the international humanitarian response in Poland, and communicate their integration strategies with neighboring countries and the European Union.
The impact of the Migration Consortium’s work is threefold. Firstly, they offer direct support to immigrants by providing them with different types of assistance tailored to their individual needs. Secondly, they strengthen member organizations and future partners within the Consortium to make their work more efficient and sustainable. Finally, they advise Poland and other neighboring countries on refugee admission strategies, showing and teaching all operating governmental and non-governmental bodies good practices of humanitarian responses.
In conclusion, the Migration Consortium’s work is making a significant impact on the lives of refugees in Poland. Their collective and coordinated approach has enabled them to respond effectively to the challenges posed by the ongoing crisis, providing vital support and assistance to those in need. The Consortium’s commitment to long-term, sustainable solutions for refugee integration is inspiring, and their efforts offer hope for a better future for those affected by this crisis.
]]>https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/migration-consortium-leading-the-way-in-ukrainian-refugee-assistance-in-poland/feed/01348Empowering Vulnerable Families in Rwanda
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/empowering-vulnerable-families-in-rwanda/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/empowering-vulnerable-families-in-rwanda/#respondMon, 30 May 2022 16:29:59 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=2343FXB Rwanda, a remarkable organization dedicated to supporting vulnerable families, is making a significant impact on the road to economic and social self-sufficiency in Rwanda. With a focus on addressing the drivers of poverty and strengthening income capacity, FXB Rwanda aims to break the cycle of poverty while uplifting communities.
Challenges in Rwanda:
Despite progress in human and economic development since the aftermath of the 1994 civil war and genocide, Rwanda still faces significant challenges. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the need for improvements in key areas such as infant mortality, maternal health, education, and the reduction of extreme poverty. The nation continues to grapple with the aftermath of the genocide and the high proportion of orphans resulting from the AIDS virus. Over half of Rwanda’s population currently lives below the poverty line. Furthermore, the country’s fragile economy faces constant fluctuations in international market prices and extreme weather conditions. Surviving the impact of COVID-19 while finding sustainable sources of growth remains a pressing challenge.
Action and Impact of FXB Rwanda:
FXB Rwanda has been at the forefront of community development programs aimed at lifting people out of poverty since 1994. Their integrated approach tackles the multidimensional causes of poverty by simultaneously addressing five key drivers: lack of nutrition, health, education, housing, and income.
Through a comprehensive package of services, FXB Rwanda provides families with the tools to escape poverty. Families receive support to establish income-generating activities, such as microenterprises, along with an initial grant, access to food, skills training, coaching, group support, healthcare, proper housing, and education for their children. The organization’s goal is to empower families to meet their daily needs and become socially and economically self-sufficient. Over a three-year period, families receive ongoing support, gradually increasing their income to achieve financial stability.
FXB Rwanda has so far successfully implemented around 50 programs with in diverse aforementioned areas of interventions. Through its implemented programs, FXB Rwanda has directly or indirectly reached more than 2.5 million of beneficiaries all across Rwanda with its interventions. The positive impact extends beyond the selected families, reaching surrounding communities and creating a ripple effect of transformation.
ConnectAID’s Involvement: FXB Rwanda’s impactful work has garnered the attention and support of ConnectAID, as one of their community Advocates volunteered with the organization in 2019. This collaboration emphasizes the shared vision of solidarity and the commitment to alleviating poverty and empowering vulnerable communities.
Looking Ahead: With the support of individuals like you, FXB Rwanda aims to uplift some of the poorest families in Rwanda, enabling them to escape extreme poverty sustainably. By providing assistance during one of the most challenging periods in history, FXB Rwanda strives to create a snowball effect that will positively impact generations to come.
FXB Rwanda’s integrated approach and unwavering dedication to empowering vulnerable families in Rwanda sets a powerful example. Through their comprehensive programs, they address the root causes of poverty and provide families with the tools and resources they need to thrive. With ongoing support from ConnectAID and compassionate individuals worldwide, FXB Rwanda is making significant strides in breaking the cycle of poverty and building a brighter future for the people of Rwanda.
]]>https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/empowering-vulnerable-families-in-rwanda/feed/02343Climate & Sustainability
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/climate-sustainability/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/climate-sustainability/#respondSun, 15 May 2022 18:14:11 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=1877This Swiss NGO is a platform of collaboration for climate and sustainability, building partnerships and catalyzing large initiatives that foster a systemic transformation of society to advance climate action and the SDGs.
Its mission : The Action Agenda for Climate. People and Nature. Partnership and coalition building. Sustainable and resilient food systems. Education and leadership training for youth and adults to become change makers. She changes Climate.
The next decade is critical for climate, people and nature. Climate change is one of the most challenging issues ever faced by humanity. If we don’t act quickly to deeply transform our societies, future generations will be affected by irreversible impacts.
Climate & Sustainability has been facilitating, growing and coordinating the Planetary Emergency Partnership as a platform of collaboration for change-makers.
Our vision is focused on partnership building through “radical collaboration”, connecting people and organizations that share the same sense of urgency. Partners are leveraging positive impacts by working together as One team for One Planet, going beyond institutional boundaries to accelerate action and achieve a greater positive impact for people and the planet.
Climate & Sustainability has a track record of leading and managing successful large policy and advocacy initiatives, including on green finance at the G20 Summit hosted by France in 2012, the Talanoa Dialogue raising climate ambition at the UNFCCC COP23 Presidency in 2017, the Nature-Based Solutions Coalition at the UN Climate Action Summit in NY in 2019, and most recently as key supporter for the endorsement of the Leaders Pledge for Nature by 80 Heads of States and the EU.
The organization is particularly focused on partnership building, sustainable and resilient food systems, education and youth empowerment. It is based in Nyon, Switzerland, and has an international reach.
]]>https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/climate-sustainability/feed/01877Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/chipembele/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/chipembele/#respondSun, 15 May 2022 16:37:14 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=1893Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust is a Zambian NGO, established in 1998, to teach the community around South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, the importance of wildlife and provide the knowledge to conserve it.
Its mission: Chipembele delivers its innovative conservation education programme to children in schools through conservation clubs and to community members through conservation-themed lessons, in 7 chiefdoms bordering the South Luangwa National Park.
As a part of the programme, they also hold regular field trips into the Park for school students, carry out visits to a dedicated education centre, conduct multi-night school camping experiences, run junior ecologist classes in partnership with another NGO, and have a student sponsorship programme.
Chipembele is making impactful changes from the ground up and supporting the next generation of conservation leaders in Zambia, not only by developing awareness and passion for conservation but furthermore through participation in their year-long Aspiring Conservation Leaders programme, which prepares school leavers for careers in conservation. They also offer sponsorship for tertiary students and internships.
Many people who have participated in the Chipembele programme now hold key positions in Zambia including conservation NGO managers, wildlife researchers, biologists, wildlife film makers, eco-safari guides, school Conservation Club patrons/matrons and environmental educators.
]]>https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/chipembele/feed/01893The Blue House
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-blue-house/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-blue-house/#respondSun, 15 May 2022 16:17:52 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=1881The Blue House Project is a non-profit organization founded to support disadvantaged families living in tents in the desert of Pushkar (Rajasthan – India). Through Education, Employment and Primary Life Needs we help these families to escape the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
Its mission : the organization sends children belonging to lower castes to the local school. In the project center ‘the Blue House’, we provide tuition and lunch after school. In addition, they employ the parents and supply basic life needs such as monthly food and shelter. The project is founded and run by Dutch student Jaira Sona Chin and Pushkar locals from the poor community itself.
The parents they work with lack of income to create a positive future for their family. All the students belong to poor lower castes and most of them are musicians and cleaners. Most parents are forced to send their children to go begging. To change this, they employ the parents of our students.
Employing the parents empowers the families and helps them to become independent and self-sufficient. The Blue House sells their hand stitched products on the website and in several shops in Europe. 100% of the profit of these handmade products is given to the woman who made the product.
The students eat lunch and attend tuition classes in our project centre: the Blue House. Six days a week, students are tutored by two local teachers. Lunch is made and served by teenage boys. Most of schoolchildren were lacking basic knowledge before they started school in 2016. Therefore, they need extra tuition and attention to increase their level of knowledge and skills.
The organization enrols its students in the local Atharv Public School. The school is managed by a local couple from Pushkar.
The Blue House currently sponsors the education of 70 children of low caste families who live in tents in the desert of Pushkar. Our sponsors fund school fees, books and uniforms.
Every single person who wants to sponsor a child’s education helps us to send one more child to school.
]]>https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/the-blue-house/feed/01881World Geospatial Industry Council
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/world-geospatial-industry-council/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/world-geospatial-industry-council/#respondMon, 09 May 2022 21:58:23 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=1757The World Geospatial Industry Council, WGIC, is collaborative platform to advance the role of the geospatial industry and strengthen its contribution to the world economy and society by understanding and mitigating Climate Change.
Its mission: Co-creating Geospatial Economy in a Digital World
The World Geospatial Industry Council is a global not-for-profit trade association of commercial geospatial companies created to demonstrate the value of geospatial technologies through mapping and earth observations.
WGIC represents the entire value-chain of the geospatial ecosystem – from data providers like mappers and surveyors, to technology providers for hardware and software, to service providers for disaster resilience, energy transition, and sustainable infrastructure – all components of WGIC’s Climate Agenda. In this regard, WGIC is an advocate, and can, therefore, be a voice for the social business enterprise components of this important, and under-utilized sector.
WGIC endeavors to:
1- Enhance the role of the geospatial industry and strengthen its contribution in the global economy and society.
2 – Facilitate exchange of knowledge within the geospatial industry and co-creation of larger business opportunities for the geospatial industry.
3- Represent business interest, share perspectives of the geospatial industry and undertake policy advocacy and dialogue with public authorities, multilateral agencies and other relevant bodies.
WGIC works globally on demonstrating the value and relevance of geospatial technologies under various Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, WGIC focuses on climate change and its impact in the thematic areas of disaster resilience, energy transition, and sustainable infrastructure.
For this, WGIC works in close collaboration with several global organizations like Building Smart International, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the United Nations Global Geographic Information Management (UNGGIM) initiative, and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO).
]]>https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/world-geospatial-industry-council/feed/01757International Social Service (ISS)
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/international-social-service-iss/
https://connectaid.org/find-your-cause/international-social-service-iss/#respondMon, 09 May 2022 21:56:09 +0000https://connectaid.org/?p=1753The International Social Service (ISS) assists children and families confronted with complex social problems as a result of migration.
Its mission: Unite families across borders.
The International Social Service (ISS) is an international NGO founded in 1924; today a network of national entities and a General Secretariat that assist children and families confronted with complex social problems as a result of migration.
Thanks to its presence in more than 120 countries, ISS is a global actor promoting child protection and welfare.
In addition to its work on the ground, ISS undertakes training projects, awareness raising and advocacy work in an effort to better respect children’s rights.
ISS supports and helps approximately 75,000 families in the world each year.