On International Women’s Day we celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. Here at Global Greengrants Fund, over half of our grantmaking dollars help women advance their rights to a clean environment.
Below are four women leaders we’ve supported in Latin America whose work truly inspires us every day.
Máxima Acuña – Peru
In true David vs. Goliath style, Máxima Acuña, a 47-year-old Peruvian farmer and mother of four, stood up to Newmont Mining Corporation, the U.S. owner of some of the world’s largest and most lucrative gold mines. Máxima refused to sell her family’s 60-acre plot of land to the company, effectively stalling the development of the proposed Conga mine, and the destruction of local wetlands and her family’s livelihood. She continues to stand up for justice, and is recognized around the world for her extraordinary courage.
Yolanda Garcia Luango – Colombia
For 21 years, planes have dusted herbicides over the lush Colombian rainforest as part of the U.S. War on Drugs. Millions of Colombians have experienced negative health impacts from exposure to the toxic chemicals. Using $5,000 from Global Greengrants Fund, Yolanda Garcia Luango’s organization has led a movement to end the spraying. In a big win for affected indigenous, campesino, and Afrodescendant communities, the Colombian government announced in April 2015 that it would end its fumigation campaign.
Bettina Cruz – Mexico
Since 2007, Bettina has worked with The Assembly of Indigenous Peoples of the Isthmus of Tahuntepec, an organization that has been working for more than five years to defend indigenous lands against a wind-powered energy mega-project. As a result of her efforts, Bettina has been jailed, beaten, and has received multiple death threats. Yet she continues to fight for indigenous peoples’ rights to live as a part of nature.
Berta Cáceres – Honduras
The leader of the indigenous environmental activist group, National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), and winner of the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize, Berta led grassroots campaigns to protect the lands of her people, the Lenca, and rights to clear water, from the impacts of a hydroelectric dam project. Her campaign helped force the world’s largest dam developer to abandon plans to build a massive dam in western Honduras. Three years after this victory, in 2016, Berta was murdered for her efforts. Learn about the steps Global Greengrants is taking in response to the surge in violence against activists in our global network.
To find out more about how funders can make a difference and support female activists like those above, click here.
Photos: Goldman Environmental Prize