• Who we are

    Who We are

    • About us
    • Our team
    • Annual reports
    • Join Us
    • Contact us
    • FAQ
  • What we do

    What we do

    • Feminist Participatory Grantmaking Practice
    • Resourcing Young Feminists
    • Changing the Game
    • Our “Garden of Change”
    • Creating storms of solidarity together
  • Who We Support
  • How can you support

    Make a donation

    Read more…

    Our supporters

    Meet our supporters

  • What's New

    What’s new

    • News and Updates
    • Publications and Resources
    • Media Room

    Latest posts

    • Equity and progress will be a direct result of our collective commitment to action! Not only on International Women’s Day but year-round.
    • Justice for Sistah Sistah!
    • A look into FRIDA’s Participatory Grantmaking Model. “Resourcing Connections: Reflections on Feminist Participatory Grantmaking Practice”
    Screenshot-2020-07-08-at-9.52.29-AM
  • How to Apply
  • Donate
  • en
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • العربية
    • Português
    • Русский
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Featured
  4. /
  5. Equity and progress will be a direct result of our collective commitment to action! Not only on International Women’s Day but year-round.

Equity and progress will be a direct result of our collective commitment to action! Not only on International Women’s Day but year-round.

March 8, 2023 (updated March 8, 2023)

The commemoration of International Women’s Day was birthed by a demand for justice for marginalized women workers. March 8th has since evolved into a day designated to celebrating women and advocating for gender equality, globally. 

Well-intentioned, but quite nebulous, the commemoration of International Women’s Day often lacks a critical connection to the work that is necessary to support and sustain the feminist movements that are fighting against the oppression of marginalized people for justice and liberation, everywhere.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day #EmbraceEquity beckons us all to imagine “A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.” This gender utopia feminist future is fantasized about but it will never exist without amplifying, supporting, and resourcing the feminists who are creating the change we dream of. 

Liberation and justice have always been achieved through the relentless work of people who continue to show up in the face of subjugation, fascism, and violence; in particular youth, sex workers, LGBTQIA folk, disabled people, and Black, brown, and Indigenous people. This 8M, we shine a light on the reality of activists who are fighting oppressive systems, with gratitude, hope, and solidarity.

Equity and progress will be a direct result of our collective commitment to action, not only today but year-round.


A young feminist participates in the Women’s March in Zambia on March 4, 2023.
Image credit: Sistah Sistah Foundation

Zambia has reported over 20,000 annual incidents of gender-based violence. On March 4, the Zambian feminist group Sistah Sistah Foundation hosted a powerful march to demand freedom, and bodily autonomy while protesting rampant GBV. The march resulted in the arrest and detainment of 4 feminists in attendance, including a member of the FRIDA community. This IWD, Sistah Sistah shares “our message remains to amplify the injustice victims of sexual and gender-based violence face in Zambia, the increased harassment and cyberbullying women girls face online on social media platforms, and the lack of attention to these cases that often go uncovered by the media and unnoticed by the public. Until women and girls are free of these injustices, we are far from being happy women.” Read FRIDA’s full statement of solidarity, here.


Feminists are on the frontlines of emergency response in Turkey and Syria.
Image credit: CERISE SUDRY-LE DÛ POUR « M LE MAGAZINE DU MONDE »

People in Turkey and Syria are still reeling from the devastating effects of the earthquakes in February which killed, injured, and disenfranchised tens of thousands of people. As is the case with all-natural disasters, women, girls and people of marginalized genders are among the most affected by, and least responded to, during humanitarian crises. In an environment that was grappling with gender injustice before the earthquake, there is now increased gender-based violence, period poverty, and more.

Amidst the turmoil, feminists are showing up and groups like Kadin Savunmasi are on the frontlines, organizing to respond to urgent needs. On March 5, thousands of women marched through the streets demanding an end to femicide and abuse.


Transgender activists are leading climate activism in India
Image credit: Mongabay

Transgender climate activists in India are leading solutions to tackle the climate crisis head-on. Kalki Subramaniam, a Coimbatore-based climate activist is part of a collective whose work highlights the connections between the effects of the climate crisis and the vulnerability of trans and non-binary people. “So far, we’ve been dealing with problems tied to our very existence … I feel climate change will disrupt our lives further if we don’t step up now.” 

South Asian trans activists are taking an intersectional approach to their organizing by advocating for the implementation of trans-focused disaster response policies and participating in solution-oriented climate justice action.


Indigenous women remain left behind in the digital divide
Image via: Mehedi Hasan

Where is the equity in tech and data? The 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is currently underway at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City with a theme of “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. However, the global reality reflects major tech inequity where Indigenous and rural communities from Bangladesh to Mexico are being left behind. Inaccessible resources are creating a digital divide that will only serve to disenfranchise the world’s most vulnerable populations. UN Women’s Secretary General Sima Bahous shared in the CSW67 Opening statement, “we must place the principles of inclusion, intersectionality, and systemic change at the core of digitalization.” 

As technology becomes more and more relevant and necessary to the advancement of movements, donors have a responsibility to prioritize the participation, inclusion, and resourcing of systematically excluded communities.


FRIDA Grantee Partner Voice of Indigenous Girls Cameroon
Image Credit: Twitter

FRIDA Grantee Partners are exemplifying their commitment to intersectionality through action and we love to see it!

Voice of Indigenous Girls, Cameroon is a civil society group that has been mobilizing for the rights of Indigenous women and girls in their community including access to land, access to education, economic justice, and the development of sustainable opportunities for indigenous women with disabilities.

Trans Alive Initiative Uganda is a civil society organization whose work supports local trans and gender non-conforming communities providing access to safe spaces and resources. Recently they focused on providing digital and cyber security training for local feminists, trans women, sex workers, and gender non-conforming youth in the Northern region.

FRIDA Grantee Partner Feminitt is a fierce collective of sex-positive young feminists who are making waves in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean through education, engagement, providing access to resources, and alleviating period poverty. Check out their video on sexual safety that they created during Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival!


Consider becoming a resource ally to FRIDA and directly supporting the work of groups like Voice of Indigenous Girls Cameroon, Trans Alive Initiative Uganda, and Feminitt Caribbean. 

Check out all of the new Grantee Partners that were recently welcomed into the FRIDAverse, here!


Fund Black Feminists
Image credit: Black Feminist Fund

The Black Feminist Fund just launched the report “Where is the money for Black Feminist movements?” The report takes a deep dive into the reality of resourcing and support for Black feminists. 

“Despite Black feminist movements holding the line against authoritarianism, mobilizing and leading social movements, and advancing visions of a more just world, this report validates the concerns that too little funding is going directly to Black feminist organizations and movements.” Read the full report here.

FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppvKontakte

Ro-Ann Mohammed

Senior Communications Officer
Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago

Other posts by Ro-Ann Mohammed

Related posts

Natural Disaster is a Feminist Issue - Why We Should be Paying Attention to What's Happening in St Vincent and the Grenadines

Natural disasters have always been a fact of life. The reality of the earth’s rapidly…

April 15, 2021 (updated April 15, 2021)

Safe Sexting 🍑 Digital Safety and More! FRIDA's Digital Security Resources For Young Feminists

Lockdowns and social isolation all over the world this year have meant that digital tools…

November 26, 2020 (updated December 4, 2020)

Berta Cáceres’ legacy is still alive in our fight for ‘bodies-territories’ in Abya-yala

Illustration by Ámbar Morales By Maria Alejandra Escalante, Climate and Environmental Justice Advocacy Officer Although…

March 8, 2021 (updated March 8, 2021)

Subscribe to updates about
FRIDA’s work around the world

Who we are

  • About us
  • Our team
  • Annual reports
  • Join Us
  • Contact us
  • FAQ

Who we support

  • Grantee partners

How to support us

  • Make a Donation
  • Our supporters

What we do

  • Feminist Participatory Grantmaking Practice
  • Resourcing Young Feminists
  • Changing the Game
  • Our “Garden of Change”
  • Creating storms of solidarity together

What’s new

  • News and Updates
  • Publications and Resources
  • Media Room

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Privacy policy

CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 - 2020 FRIDA | Young Feminist Fund