Focus on Strengthening Democracies
Without equal participation of women, girls and LBTIQ+ there is no democracy. By 2030, Development Goal No. 5: “Equality for all genders” should be achieved in 193 UN states. filia sees itself as an outcome of the women’s movement, supports women’s organizations that want to make structural changes, connects partners or participates in networks that work to bring women and girls into decision-making positions, to make their voices heard, their positions visible. But with the increasing success of the women’s movement, an anti-feminist movement is forming and the headwind is getting stronger.
Empowering women and girls – enabling participation
The theme of participation and the promotion of democracy runs as a cross-section through all of filia’s funding programs. Strengthening the participation of women and girls at all levels of society means more creative power, responsibility and influence. In addition, filia has embarked on the path to structural co-determination: In advisory boards of young women and FLINTA and refugees, women* and girls* co-select projects according to the motto: “Nothing about us without us.” Strengthening the participation of women and girls means strengthening democracy.
Joint strategies against anti-feminism
The cooperation with and support of partners from Central and Eastern Europe has been a focus of our work since our founding in 2001. In some countries of Central and Eastern Europe, however, the hands of the equality clocks are currently being set back again. Anti-feminism has many faces. Conservative governments pass senseless regulations and anti-women laws, populist media defame, and anti-feminist groups exert violence with smear campaigns and also directly on the streets. Their goal is to hinder the work of women’s groups and activists and to pit their vision of a free, more just world against traditional values, family values and an alleged “national culture”. Especially smaller organizations, which do not yet have international and few national networks, urgently need strengthening through information and the provision of tools. The issue of limiting civil society organizations concerns everyone who supports democracy development and civil society participation.
Strengthening democracies through global networking
In the worldwide women’s foundations network Prospera, women’s foundations exchange information about developments in their countries. As the problems of anti-feminism are on the rise, it has become increasingly important to join forces and acquire external funding to be able to set up cooperation projects. The women’s foundations from Prospera are ideal cooperation partners for filia: supported by a common feminist vision and well connected to grassroots groups in their own countries. Here filia has a different role to play: if we usually support the ideas and projects that women and girls develop and realize themselves, here we are, initiators, and also triggers.
Other cooperation projects
Together with sister foundations worldwide, we develop cooperations that defend the values of democracy and counteract the increasingly strong antifeminist headwind. we have to be loud and public, strengthen the abilities of the participants to develop feminist messages. The campaign project “Grassroots Women Mobilize Together for Democracy”, which was developed together with the women’s foundations from Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine and then implemented with grassroots women organizations, has moved and inspired everyone greatly. It has enabled research that sheds light on the “sinister darkness” of anti-feminist alliances, analyzes their arguments, and thus also reclaims interpretive authority.
Insights into our Project Archive
Projects in the focus “Strengthening Democracies”
Femei pentru Femei – Moldava
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In Our Bodies – On the Streets – Central and Eastern Europe
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Miscarea Feminista – Moldova
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Omul Face Locul – Moldova
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Alliance for Black Justice in Poland – Poland
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Medical Movement “Be Like We Are” – Ukraine
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Mycelium – Poland
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ManaTheia Peace Hub – Georgia
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Cooperation Projekt “Feminist Resilience”
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Cooperation Project “On the Right Track”
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Projects in the Focus “Strengthening Democracies”
Femei pentru Femei – Moldova
A Powerful Voice for the Feminist Movement
Femei pentru Femei (FpF) is a grassroots feminist non-profit advancing women’s rights and dignity through activism, empowerment, and community programs. Guided by feminism, empathy, and equity, FpF supports women, girls, survivors of gender-based violence, volunteers, and marginalized youth across central, northern, and southern Moldova.
FpF creates feminist spaces, organizes support groups, and provides mentorship, workshops, and seed funding for local initiatives. It offers psychological therapy, informational support, and essential aid to women affected by violence, including Ukrainian refugees, fostering social cohesion.
FpF empowers women and girls to strengthen their leadership skills, boost their self-confidence, and become proactive leaders within their communities through programs like the Female Entrepreneurship and Leadership School, Art Therapy, Feminist Dialogues, and workshops on feminism, GBV, and women’s health. Actively engaged in advocacy, awareness campaigns, protests, and policy change, FpF co-organizes the Feminist Festival and Solidarity March, strengthening the feminist movement in Moldova and bring societal change.
www.instagram.com/femeipentrufemei
www.facebook.com/femeipfemei
In our Bodies – on the Streets – Active throughout Central and Eastern Europe
Combining Activism, Personal Development and Systemic Change
Throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Trainings and practice meetings for international CEE activists have been held so far in Romania, Hungary, Poland, Czech and Georgia. An online community for weekly practices is also maintained.
In our bodies – on the streets is an international collective founded in 2014 by activists from Eastern and Central Europe working at the intersection and interdependence of activism, personal growth and systemic change. They create courageous spaces for collective healing from burnout, trauma and minority stress – states which can cause conflict, ill health, disengagement from political activism, or the crumbling of valuable collectives. In their words: “In order to build powerful movements towards radical social change, it is important for us to work on ourselves and our collectives so that we can bring the full capacity of our whole beings – our brains, hearts and guts – to our political work.”
The core group of activist-facilitators shares the Generative Somatics methodology with the aim of improving the health and lives of individuals and groups involved in climate and social justice movements.
The methodology teaches politicised somatic practices that work through the body to reduce stress, support trauma healing and deeply connect people to themselves and each other. Supporting sustainable health and stability in activists’ personal lives and organisations builds a strong foundation for the vigor, integrity and longevity of social justice initiatives, increasing the potential for more pleasure and joy in activism!
In our bodies – on the streets is led by and primarily serves LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people involved in social and climate justice movements.
Mycelium – Poland
Decolonial Research
Mycelium is a research laboratory focusing on the exploration of colonial dependencies, decolonial practices and infrastructural entanglements in relation to the Belarusian context. Based in Warsaw spreading its mycelium everywhere.
www.workhardplay.pw/#mycelium-and-yulia-krivich-mycelial-gathering-one
Medical Movement “Be Like We Are” – Ukraine
Fair Working Conditions for Nursing Staff
“Be like We Are” was first established in 2019 as a grassroots initiative of nurses that opposed cuts and restructuring of the medical sector caused by the medical reform in Ukraine. The initiative is women-led and focuses on women, as 95% of nurses are women. They work in hard conditions, are underpaid and overburdened. The initative grew in scope during the pandemic, when working conditions of medical personnel and their labour rights were under severe pressure in the context of growing austerity.
The initiative was able to advocate for a nation-wide salary increase for medical personnel, which came into force in 2021. Unfortunately, due to the inflation caused by the full-scale invasion, this increase did not affect the cost of living for nurses as much as it could have otherwise. The group raises awareness about legislative changes that affect medical staff, initiates campaigns and advocates for fair working conditions for the medical personnel in Ukraine.
Feminist Resilience – Strengthening the resilience of women’s rights organizations
The goal of this cooperative project between women’s foundations in Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine and Germany is to strengthen the institutional, collective and individual resilience of feminist organizations and activists in the long term. Feminist organizations and activists are coming under increasing pressure internationally. They experience undue strain – as individuals who are often discriminated against on the basis of their gender and other characteristics, as well as collectively as groups of people who challenge existing power relations and thus make themselves targets of violence and hostility. Last but not least, feminist organizations are also institutionally strained and overburdened. They are massively underfunded, harassed by right-wing populist governments and threatened by anti-feminist groups.
In the first year, the project focuses on assessing needs: In joint discussions, the participating women’s foundations take a close look at the current situation. The respective social contexts in the countries also play an important role. With professional support, they are jointly developing a study on the resilience of women’s organizations, and women’s organizations in all four countries are invited to participate. At a kick-off meeting in Armenia, the program directors of the foundations developed the structure of a meaningful study. Building on this, the foundations offer internal team training and continue to develop their working methods.
Miscarea Feminista – Moldova
Campaigns against Gender-Based Violence
Miscarea Feminista is a collective of activists, non-governmental organisations, and advocates for women’s rights. Its goal is to achieve gender equality by advocating for the rights, safety, and empowerment of women and girls, challenging gender-based violence, discrimination, and systemic injustices. It aims to create a more inclusive and involved Moldovan society, where all genders have equal opportunities, protections, and freedoms. Miscarea Feminista is an informal group, which comes together annually, created, initially, to organise the Women’s March on International Women’s Day. The Movement is gathering for various protests and piquets, which call-out the authorities when the injustice is present. Memebers of the Movement are trusted individuals, which the victims of GBV can address to make their voice heard. Over time, the initiative grew to include the Feminist Festival, a response to the growing need to address and raise awareness on a broader range of women’s issues in Moldova. In addition, the collective is involved in various efforts during the annual “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign. Their initiatives include online awareness campaigns, public discussions with key stakeholders, information points and workshops for GBV survivors, arts workshops, in collaborations with media and other organisations.
Omul Face Locul – Moldova
Feminist Perspectives on Urban Planning
Omul Face Locul (OFL) is an initiative that operates at the intersection of feminism, queer advocacy, and the needs of minority groups within the context of urban planning. Founded in 2021 as a grassroots effort, OFL aims to address the lack of feminist perspectives in public discourse on urban planning and foster dialogue between citizens and decision-makers. The team is composed of urban planners, activists, and architects. OFL addresses key urban challenges by producing accessible, informative vlogs and podcast episodes that encourage public awareness and active civic engagement. Through its content, OFL holds local authorities accountable while educating viewers on issues such as women’s safety in urban areas, the LGBTQ+ community’s relationship with public spaces, inclusive urban design, safety for alternative transportation, Vision Zero principles, inadequate street lighting and accessibility issues in public transportation. Through an engaging, accessible format, OFL’s goal is to bring these topics to light, encouraging residents to actively participate in the transformation of their city, ensuring that underrepresented communities are actively engaged in these discussions and advocating for equitable public spaces.
www.omulfacelocul.com
www.instagram.com/omulfacelocul
www.youtube.com/@OmulFaceLocul
Alliance for Black Justice in Poland – Poland
Alliance for Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination
The Alliance for Black Justice in Poland (BJP) is a Black-led initiative that works to support and strengthen Black, African and Afro-descendant people and communities in Poland. The BJP was created by a group of long-time friends and activists as an emergency response to the need for aid among Black and African people who were evacuating from Ukraine immediately following the Russian invasion. BJP organized support with accessing safe housing, healthcare, legal aid, and material aid.
Today, the BJP operates as a coalition of organizations and informal groups, most of which are Black-led and focus on issues of human rights, antiracism and antidiscrimination. We work to support and strengthen the position of all Black, African and Afro-descendent people living in Poland regardless of when they arrived to the country, their legal status in Poland, their country of origin, cultural background, religion or faith, or gender identity, etc. Our long-term aim is to foster community and belonging among Black, African and Afro-descendant people in Poland, to advocate for the civil and human rights of our communities, and to consistently provide direct support with access to basic needs such as housing and legal aid.
Black women and LGBTQ+ people are at the forefront of the work at BJP. Their approach to Black justice is grounded in radical Black feminist philosophies and inspired by an intersectional approach that seeks to find common interests and objectives with partners in feminist, queer and other social justice movements. In their daily work, they enact radical community care through non-hierarchical, participatory and collectivist practices.
ManaTheia Peace Hub – Georgia
Peacebuilding and Emotional Empowerment
ManaTheia Peace Hub was founded in 2020. It is based in the Gori Municipality in order to support Shida Kartli Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) conflict affected communities. Led by women conflict transformation specialists, ManaTheia fosters a culture of peace and understanding in a region marked by division.
ManaTheia Peace Hub wants to enhance the self-resilience of women living in Shida Kartli and in villages near the dividing line, while promoting their active participation in public life. The organization’s mission is to promote peace education and nurture emotional resilience within local communities through women peace builder’s empowerment.
On the right Track
“On the right Track” is a cooperation of 19 women’s funds from Europe and Latin America. Together the funds are supporting feminist grassroots organisations in developing strategies against the increasing anti-feminist shift to the right. The project addresses issues that are targets of the right, such as questions of sexual self-determination, LBTIQ+ visibility, or anti-racist networking. However, direct actions against the right can also be conceived within the framework of “On the right Track”.
