2004 GRANTS MAIN INDEX • GRANTS & FINANCES   

Women’s Human Rights

Population pressures exacerbate many of the fundamental obstacles to sustainable development: degradation of natural resources, income disparity, gender inequality and poor maternal and child health. The Fund believes that we can uphold women’s human rights by expanding their reproductive health choices, thereby reducing unwanted childbearing and improving the lives of women and their families.

The Fund seeks policy initiatives which promote globally to:

Objective I: Increase Access to Contraceptives

About 130 million couples in the world today have unmet need for safe, quality contraceptives.

Strategies:

1. Strengthen leadership for advocacy and action
2. Support watchdog mechanisms directed at major public donors
3. Leverage other public and private resources
4. Promote responsible U.S. leadership and collaboration in development of solutions to global problems
5. Empower grassroots and encourage civic participation

International Women’s Health Coalition - $30,120 over nine months
For “International Policy Advocacy for Reproductive & Sexual Health and Rights – Phase 2,” to advocate for progressive global health and development policies that include reproductive health and commit funds to making services available to women; ensure that reproductive health is included in the Millennium Development Goals.

Population Action International - $100,000
For the Supply Initiative, to address the growing shortage of reproductive health supplies in developing countries, including web-based coordination among donor entities, and efforts to raise awareness and commitment among donor country governments.

Objective II: Increase Access to Emergency Contraceptives

Worldwide, one of every three pregnancies is unintended. In developing countries where abortion is illegal or unavailable, a shortage of contraceptives means unplanned pregnancies and risk of botched abortions. For adolescents, a pregnancy may have grave health and educational consequences. Since emergency contraceptive pills are inexpensive and highly effective, if they are available, they will reduce the number of injuries and deaths of women who may otherwise try to obtain an abortion.

Strategies :

1. Strengthen leadership for advocacy and action at the global and regional level
2. Leverage other public and private resources for expanding information and availability of emergency contraception
3. Policy analysis
4. Empower grassroots groups at regional level to prepare environment for introduction of emergency contraceptives

Meridian Development Foundation - $50,000
To help the International Consortium on Emergency Contraception increase awareness of emergency contraception (EC) with key country-level policymakers as well as conduct global, regional and country-level advocacy in order to provide EC to poor women.

Objective III: Improve Adolescents’ Ability to Make Informed Choice and Obtain Quality Reproductive Health Services

There are more young people in the world than ever before – over one billion between ages 15 and 24. As they reach their peak childbearing years, they are the key to the world’s demographic destiny. If these adolescents can be reached with information and have access to contraceptives, it will make a great difference in the timing and number of children they choose to bear.

Strategies :

1. Strengthen leadership for advocacy and action
2. Foster open, public discourse about the effects of public policies on adolescent reproductive health and their impact on the community.
3. Cultivate accountability and watchdog mechanisms directed at public institutions
4. Leverage public and private resources

Advocates for Youth - $125,000
For work demonstrating how the U.S. government has used religious ideology rather than science to shape international reproductive health and HIV/AIDS policies, denying the world’s youth access to reproductive health services when they most need it.

International Center for Research on Women - $99,609
To use their research findings on married adolescents to build awareness among policymakers of the reproductive health risks faced by adolescents in developing countries, particularly married adolescents.

International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) - $20,203
For strategic communications and advocacy efforts with U.S. policymakers concerning child marriage in developing countries.

Objective IV: Increase Access to Safe Abortion

Every year, 70,000 women die of complications of abortions performed by unqualified people, or in unhygienic conditions, or both. Many more women suffer serious, often permanent disabilities. An unintended pregnancy can close off educational and occupational options for young women. Abortion is essential to allow individuals full control over their own fertility. The social, economic and demographic impact of abortion is substantial.

Strategies:

1. Strengthen leadership for advocacy and action
2. Empower relevant groups for policy and legal change
3. Policy analysis

Ipas – $100,000 per year for up to 2 years
To increase women’s access to safe abortion, by increasing support for policy reforms at the global and national levels and by portraying abortion as only one aspect of women’s sexual and reproductive health and a clear part of women’s reproductive rights.

Ipas - $5,000
For precedent-setting advocacy opportunities in Kenya relating to abortion rights in the drafting of a new Kenyan constitution.

Objective V: Resource Mobilization in Europe

European bilateral and multi-lateral donors have been prioritized because they have great potential to fulfill their pledges toward the Plan of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development ( Cairo, 1994). The EURONGOs, an association of 25 European NGOs, have helped convince European governments to increase annual assistance for population and reproductive health purposes from about $500 million in 1995 to $700 million in 2000.

Strategies:

1. Strengthen leadership for advocacy and action
2. Support “watchdog mechanisms” directed at public institutions
3. Policy analysis
4. Leverage public and private resources

Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung - $25,000
For the Euromapping project, to monitor the progress of each European country towards honoring the funding commitments it made at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (the Cairo plan), and to assist European NGOs in persuading their governments to honor these commitments.

Equilibres & Populations - $100,000
To increase awareness of population issues in France, and to mobilize support for bilateral population assistance and honoring France’s financial commitment under the 1994 Cairo plan.

Interact Worldwide - $40,000
For advocacy for the Cairo Plan and the Beijing Platform of Action in the UK and at key international meetings, and to help key policymakers understand the link between the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and reproductive health. The UK will assume the Presidency of the European Union in 2005 and will host the G-8 and thus could exercise a significant leadership role.

Marie Stopes International – $75,000
To secure the political and financial commitment from the European Union and the United Kingdom to place reproductive health firmly on the international development agenda and ensure that it is recognized as an essential component of sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Population Action International - $10,000
For the second Opposition in Europe meeting, to coordinate strategies among reproductive rights groups following recent changes at the European Union level.

Objective VI: Resource Mobilization in U.S.

The US government remains the largest source of foreign aid, providing about one-third of all population and reproductive health assistance to developing countries.

Strategies :

1. Empower affected communities and people to exert grassroots pressure and encourage civic participation
2. Support “watchdog” mechanisms directed at both public and private institutions
3. Policy analysis
4. Strengthen leadership for advocacy and action
5. Foster open public discourse about the true effects of public policies on women and adolescents in developing countries
6. Leverage public and private resources
7. Promote responsible US leadership and collaboration in the development of solutions to global problems

Alan Guttmacher Institute - $60,000
To disseminate analyses and materials to educate advocates and policymakers on the global impact of U.S. policies on international population and reproductive health issues.

Feminist Majority Foundation – $100,000
For Choices Online campus community, training the next generation of pro-choice leaders, as well as organizing students around a specific activity or cause, such as the April 2004 March for Women’s Lives.

National Audubon Society - $85,000
For “Optimizing U.S. Support of International Family Planning,” to educate policymakers and the grassroots about the environmental benefits of international family planning, to increase U.S. funding and remove impediments to the effective delivery of global family planning services.

Pathfinder International - $90,000
For “Advocacy and Public Affairs Program,” educating Members of Congress and other policymakers about the ways that family planning and reproductive health programs save and improve lives around the world.

Population Action International - $12,000
For the 2005 International Family Planning Coalition “Advance”, to strategize how to advance international family planning/reproductive health and rights.

Objective VII: Eradication of Female Genital Mutilation

The practice of FGM has profound implications for women’s reproductive health and equity in Africa, as noted by the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development’s Cairo Plan of Action. The Fund supports highly leveraged initiatives with potential for global impact.

Management Assistance Group – $12,550
For planning and facilitation of the fourth annual meeting of the International Donor Working Group on Female Genital Mutilation’s (consisting of bilateral, multi-lateral, and private foundation donors).

Rainbo - $75,000
For the “Integrated Initiative Against FGM: Technical Assistance and Information Exchange,” disseminating lessons learned from FGM-eradication efforts to large bilateral and multilateral donors who can provide more funding than private donors.

Tostan – $68,000
To scale up and replicate its model for FGM abandonment – successful in areas of Senegal, Sudan, and Mali – in other countries of Africa.

Tostan - $5,112
Add-on to previous grant for evaluation research on the replication of Tostan’s FGM project in the Sudan.

Women’s International Network - $3,600
Core support, for distribution of the childbirth picturebook, which provides reproductive health education to low-literate women in developing countries and shows the impact of FGM on reproductive health.

Women’s International Network - $15,679
To print and distribute Childbirth Picture Books to affected communities in Africa in order to educate about the harmful effects of FGM.

Objective VIII: Microenterprise

The Wallace Global Fund supports efforts to address how financial markets and public and private development institutions can more adequately address both equity concerns and the reduction of poverty via microfinance, particularly targeted at the empowerment of women. Through support for policy work - with a focus on regulatory reform and the increased involvement of commercial banks - the Fund is supporting selected efforts in the microenterprise field.

ACCION International - $75,000
Core support, to improve the policy environment for the microfinance industry.

FINCA International - $75,000
Core support, to improve the policy environment for the microfinance industry.