Each year Global Greengrants Fund makes over 800 grants to environmental activists around the world, helping to support grassroots initiatives to protect the planet and the rights of the people who call these natural places home. We wish we could share every single story with you. Here are three exciting projects we’ve supported recently.
Costa Rica: Protecting Local Lands from the Threat of Tourism
The Kekoldi indigenous territory is located next to Puerto Viejo de Limón, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. As the demand for tourism development increases in Costa Rica, the demand for land does as well, threatening indigenous livelihoods. La Asociación de Desarrollo Integral del Territorio Indígena de Kekoldi will use $4,000 to provide advisors and legal aid to the Bribri indigenous peoples living in the Kekoldi territory to delineate the boundaries of their territory, clear roads within the territory, and establish landmarks to prevent future land grabs.
Kenya: Narrowing the Generational Knowledge Gap
The Kilifi people who live in the biodiverse Kaya forests in coastal Kenya tell many stories about the wealth of the forest and ways to sustain it. Unfortunately as the existence of the forest is threatened by encroachment and the overexploitation of forest resources, the younger generation shows little interest in conservation. With $3,500, the Kilifi Natural Resources Network plans to narrow the knowledge gap between the generations through interactive talks about the plants and animals who call the forest home, as well as their cultural significance. The group will also produce documentaries, pamphlets, lead nature walks, and establish a medicinal plant garden to increase awareness about the uses of different plants.
Nepal: Reducing the Environmental Impact of Local Hospitals
Large public buildings, such as hospitals and schools can have a huge carbon footprint. With funding from Global Greengrants, Health Care Foundation Nepal will promote the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals program in Nepal, increasing the number of hospitals involved in the movement, providing evidence of the benefits of green practices to the health sector, and promoting non-incineration of medical waste with pamphlets and resources provided to hospitals.
We believe that solutions for lasting change come from people who face challenges to their environments and rights every day. So we support community-based projects that make our world safer, healthier, and more just. To read more about grants we’ve awarded and the groups and individuals who have received them, click here.
Photo: Everjean / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0