In partnership with the Equality Fund, we are delighted to announce our first ever Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Caribbean grantee cohort! Astraea has been proud to support feminist, LBTQI-led grassroots organizing in the region for several years now, and we are excited to expand our support and continue to build feminist power in the Caribbean thanks to this blossoming collaboration!

Over the next three years, a total of USD $881,964 ($1,174,058 Canadian dollars) will be granted to 27 outstanding women’s rights and LBTQI organizations from eight CARICOM countries − Jamaica, Belize, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Suriname.

WVL-Caribbean grantee partners include emerging and established organizations operating in both rural areas and urban settings, representing young women, indigenous women, sex workers, and the LBTQI community. These organizations are working at the intersections of gender-based violence, economic justice, feminist leadership, LBTQI rights, climate change, and more.

From documenting and capturing the realities of lesbian and bisexual women to helping to create safe communities for LBTQI people, each of our WVL grantees plays a critical role in the region’s larger feminist ecosystem. Here are just a few examples of their incredible activism:

• LEZ Connect, Saint Lucia: LEZ Connect raises awareness on LBT women’s issues and educates the public on the rights of LBT women. They work to create a safe environment for LBTQ women and put an end to violence against women. The group’s main goal is to build and solidify a stronger LBT community within the LGBT population in St. Lucia, and work towards ending violence against LBT women.
• Guyana Trans United, Guyana: Guyana Trans United was originally formed in 2012 when trans organizers in Guyana fought police brutality against trans sex workers. The organization works to improve the quality of life for transgender Guyanese and to ensure that their rights are recognised in all domains through human rights advocacy by promoting respect and acceptance within the larger society, with the intention to create communities free from violence, prejudice, discrimination, and other negative and adverse conduct against trans people.
• Our Circle, Belize: Our Circle was founded in 2013 out of the need for a safe, supportive space for LGBT couples, parents, and families in Belize. As LGBT families are currently not legally recognized in Belize, the mission of Our Circle is to advance legal and lived equality for diverse families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change.

Please join us in celebrating the work of these incredible grantee partners who are working to leave a lasting legacy for women’s and LBTIQ movements in the Caribbean, and read more about their work in the links below.

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