Friday, March 17, 2023

Feel Good Friday - MADRE

The Women’s History Month theme continues and today we highlight the work of MADRE.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in New York City, MADRE is “an international women's human rights organization and feminist fund” with a mission to “advance women’s human rights by meeting urgent needs in communities and building lasting solutions to the crises women face.”


MADRE works with community partners in Colombia, Guatemala, Iraq, Kenya, Nicaragua and Palestine. They focus on three strategies: grant making, organizational strengthening, and legal advocacy.


Grants fund local, women-led organizations that are meeting immediate needs, such as shelters and health clinics, while also focusing on lasting change. MADRE targets groups that prioritize the leadership of young women and girls, Indigenous women, Afro-descendant women, LGBTIQ people, and people with disabilities.


Community-based partner organizations receive training, advice on funding models, and strategic exchange to strengthen their capabilities. MADRE also helps women leaders advocate for their communities in policymaking spaces by providing legal advocacy and training.


These strategies are applied across the following programs: ending gender violence by equipping women with tools to prevent abuse in war and building clinics and counseling centers;  advancing climate justice through grassroots solutions like building clean water systems and seed bank harvesting; building a just peace by bringing aid to communities, working to address root causes of conflict and involving women in the peace process; and a feminist policy jumpstart which advocates that U.S. policymakers champion gender justice and human rights.


In December, 2019, MADRE Executive Director Yifat Susskind delivered a talk at TED Women encouraging people to think like a mother in order to not get overwhelmed by crises and be able to take action. It’s a philosophy that guides MADRE’s strategy today.  


If you’re interested in taking action to support women leaders around the world, a great way to do so is with a donation to MADRE. You can also help out by amplifying their work on social media. Follow MADRE on Facebook, Twitter @MADREspeaks, and Instagram @madrespeaks. #ThinkLikeAMother

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