Community Health Initiatives for Youth (CHIYN) is an LGBTI-led non-profit organization providing vital health and other social services for LGBTI community members in Minna City in Niger State, Nigeria. Over the past three years, CHIYN has provided health services for over 5000 members of the community via a drop in center and health outreach sessions-focused on HIV/AIDS, TB, healthy living and of late, COVID prevention. CHIYN’s motto is like many similar organizations: “Nothing For Us Without Us.”
Due to extreme homo/transphobia, LGBTI persons are often “kicked out” of their families and homes, and left to fend for themselves, As a community organization, CHIYN has mobilized the community to help itself. This relatively modest home has been a life saver for so many. CHIYN’s membership is now struggling to pay the rent for the coming year starting in May 2023 (In Nigeria, rent must be paid for an entire year). The total rent is $3200, however, through an income generating project and membership funds, CHIYN has been able to raise more than half of that. In total, CHIYN is looking for $1,000 to cover the annual rent.
Can you chip in to assist CHIYN in their efforts to serve their community?
Standing for HIV, Equality, and Rights, the HERO Awards is an annual event that acknowledges outstanding service to the HIV response in Asia and the Pacific, and to the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) communities
The 6th HERO Awards 2022 will be hosted under the concept of “Unity&Diversity” at Australian Embassy, Bangkok on Friday 25 November 2022. The event is also a fundraiser for the Bangkok-based APCOM Foundation, a leading NGO which works to fight HIV and advance LGBTQI health and rights across the Asia Pacific region. APCOM partners with over 200 community organizations in 35 countries to promote the health and human rights of LGBTQI+ people. APCOM works with communities, governments, and development agencies to ensure LGBTQI+ people are included, as well as fight the impact stigma, discrimination and violence have on LGBTQI+ people.
You can also be a hero!
APCOM’s survey of the LGBTQI+ situation in Thailand and in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic found that mental health issues mainly in anxiety, depression, and helplessness, and hopelessness due to joblessness and/or loss of income, particularly for trans people and people living with HIV. Some respondents reported cases of discrimination and violence due to their sexual orientation and gender identity, and/or living with HIV.
You can be a hero by supporting APCOM emergency fund and sponsoring the event to ensure that those most marginalized and affected by the pandemic can rebuild their livelihoods. The Rustin Fund for Global Equality is partnering with APCOM, a long-standing grantee partner, to support a fundraising campaign linked to the HERO awards. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation via the Rustin Fund for Global Equality. 100% of your support will go directly to APCOM for emergency support to LGBTQI individuals in the Asia-Pacific region.
#HEROAwards2022 #Unity&Diversity
To find out more about the HERO Awards, check here
Nigeria Trans/Non-Binary Community about to lose Shelter
Creme de la Creme House of Fame (CDLC) is a transgender (trans)-led advocacy and community service organization based in Abuja, Nigeria. Established in 2016, our aim to improve the lives of Nigerian trans and non-binary individuals, with a focus on health services access, safety and security, human rights and educational opportunities. Over the past four years, CDLC has provided safe shelter and health services for hundreds of trans and non-binary persons in Lagos and Abuja respectively. Due to extreme transphobia in Nigeria, LGBTI persons are often “kicked out” of their families and homes, and left to fend for themselves. CDLC was formed by our community to assist others in dire need.
For the past three years, with the asssitance of several individual and institutional donors, CDLC has been operating two safe houses (one in Abuja and one in Lagos) and offered over 100 Trans/non-binary persons refugee and relief from the extremes of transphobia in Nigerian society. We offer safe temporary short term housing for those in need, a safe space for others to socialize and find community, and access to gender affirming health services. We also work to assist our community members in securing job skills training, employment and educational opportunities. These relatively modest homes have been life savers for so many.
During COVID, with such severe restrictions and lockdowns, the economy plunged and many in our community had few safety nets to fall back on. As well, several of our individual donors have struggled to support us financially. Also, as a result of upcoming federal elections, the Nigerian Parliament is currently debating a “cross dressing” bill that would criminalize trans and non-binary people. Putting all these factors together, our community is very scared.
We have an urgent need to cover the rent of our safe houses. We owe our landlords rent (which is pre-paid once per year) and are in need of $6400 to cover rent for these community centers/homes. While the upkeep of the safe house require additional funds (e.g. food, electricity, water), we aim to work within the community to cover those costs as we have in the past.
Creme de la Creme House of Fame is keen to partner with the Rustin Fund and others during Pride Month 2022 to support trans and non-binary communities in Nigeria. Can you assist us with a tax deductible contribution in paying the rent? $10, $50, $100, $1000…any amount would be greatly appreciated.
Check us out at:
Intagram: @cdlcf
Twitter: @cdlc_foudation
Facebook: Crème de la crème house of fame foundation
The Rustin Fund board of directors retains discretion over the use of funds.
Fulcrum, founded in 2009, promotes the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine. It is one of the most visible and active LGBTQ+ organizations in the country, focusing on community mobilization efforts, advocacy, and public awareness campaigns. Despite significant gaps in the protection of the LGBTQ+ people, Ukraine has one of the largest and most vibrant communities in Eastern Europe with a wider range of freedoms than most countries in the region.
The war that started when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 has devastated the country and LGBTQ+ communities, who were already marginalized. Many have been forced to flee Kyiv and Kharkiv, two of the biggest cities with largest LGBTQ+ communities in Ukraine, to seek safety in the west of the country. The situation is even more severe for transgender individuals, who are unable to access the support they require, and some are denied border crossing and facing violence and gender discrimination. As a response, and since day one of the conflict, Fulcrum has been working to protect its community. They have set up two LGTBQ+ shelters in Lviv offering accommodation and support to approximately 100 individuals. They have rented non-residential spaces and adapted them to offer acceptable living conditions, including the purchase and installation of boilers, heaters, washing machines, showers, WiFi, beds, and other basic necessities.
The Rustin Fund is partnering with Fulcrum to raise funds for this urgent cause. Your campaign donations will support vital activities such as:
Evacuation of LGBTQ+ persons from areas at risk of continued military attacks
Providing temporary and safe housing at one of 2 shelters for LGBT+ people in Lviv, including internet access, food, clothes, and hygiene products
Logistical and legal support to leave Ukraine for other safe EU countries in cooperation with other LGBTQ+ charities
Medical and psychological support and supplies, including referrals and access treatment for HIV positive persons
Financial support, especially to those who lost jobs
Ukraine’s LGBTQ+ Community Needs Your Support. Please consider donating to support Fulcrum and help keep LGBT+ Ukrainians safe. Stand with Ukraine!
The Rustin Fund board of directors retains discretion over the use of funds.
Community Health Initiatives for Youth (CHIYN) is an LGBTI-led non-profit organization providing vital health and other social services for LGBTI community members in Minna City in Niger State, Nigeria. Over the past two years, CHIYN has provided health services for over 3,700 members of the community via a drop in center and health outreach sessions-focused on HIV/AIDS, TB, healthy living and of late, COVID prevention. CHIYN’s motto is like many similar organizations: “Nothing For Us Without Us.”
Due to extreme homo/transphobia, LGBTI persons are often “kicked out” of their families and homes, and left to fend for themselves, As a community organization, CHIYN has mobilized the community to help itself. For the past two years, CHIYN has been able to cover costs of a safe house for numerous LGBTI community members to have safe temporary housing when in need. This relatively modest home has been a life saver for so many. During COVID, with such severe restrictions and lockdowns of late, things have gotten worse. CHIYN’s membership is now struggling to pay the rent for the coming year starting in October 2021 (In Nigeria, rent must be paid for an entire year). In total, CHIYN is looking for $1,900 for the annual rent.
Can you chip in to assist CHIYN in their efforts to serve their community?
Since 1999 SEROvie an LGBTI-identified organization has an established network of eleven (11) centers that serve various communities across Haiti’s ten departments. Because of the challenge of being an openly LGBTQI-identified organization in a rights constrained country, SEROvie has focused on health and entre to our human rights and community building work. In addition to LGBTQI people, we also serve at-risk adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and sex workers.
Today, SEROvie works on numerous program interventions: health care and basic nutrition, quality education for the LGBTQI and their children, household economic security benefiting 22,000 clients and their families in 36 communities.
In the aftermath of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that rocked southwestern Haiti, 1,400 people are dead and more than 6,900 others injured, 10,000 people left homeless while hundreds more are still missing. The southern and western parts of the country, particularly the Sud, Grand’Anse and Nippes departments, have withstood the worst of the quake, while some communities closer to the epicenter, yet to be reached and out of contact, and are thought to have been completely devastated.
Despite Tropical Storm Grace weakening into a depression, the system still threatens to dump more than 10 inches of rain over the areas hardest hit by the earthquake this week potentially triggering deadly flash floods that could complicate humanitarian response efforts.
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by LGBTI people, SEROvie developed a specialized disaster response and recovery effort. As an established LGBTQI organization, SEROvie has a unique role in providing support directly to our Haitian LGBTI community. In the past, more generalized disaster response efforts have been quite discriminatory against LGBTQI community members, and our communities have suffered. Hence, we need to provide support directly to our community!
Based on initial assessments with LGBTQI community members in the Southwest, our priorities and recommendations reflect in that an urgent response is needed – specifically for safety, food and potable water. Substantial funding is urgently for SEROvie to offer relief in Les Cayes and Miragoane:
Food distribution at our two southern facilities—we estimate we have 320 beneficiaries Cayes in 127 in Miragoane who will need help for at least a two-week period.
Hygiene kits (water bucket, soap, paste and toothbrush, toilet paper and hygiene pads) distribution for at least 500 beneficiaries.
Tents, pillows, and sheets for at least 500 beneficiaries.
Potable water for at least 500 beneficiaries; and
Organizing emotional first aid and psychosocial support to help LGBTQI cope with grief and trauma within our LGBTQI Friendly Spaces (Biomed articles will be needed and cook food will be offered daily to 450 for a week period).
Please support us with what you can, and the funds will go directly to impacting LGBTQI people in Southwest Haiti. In partnering with the Rustin Fund, 100% of the funding will go directly to these impacted communities.
Damages of the earthquake in the Southern Region pictures Foundation SEROvie and houses where our beneficiaries lived, but have since evacuated and are now living in shelter on a football field close to their housesand participants at SEROvie Training
“SISTERS” is the first foundation to provide counseling and guidance exclusively for transgender women by transgender women in Thailand, also known as SISTERS Center Pattaya, which was founded in June 2004. SISTERS was registered as a foundation in Thailand in September 2014. For almost 17 years, SISTERS has been serving the transgender community in Pattaya and is the largest trans-led service provider in Thailand. Pattaya is known as capital city of transgender people in Thailand. SISTERS is run by professionally trained transgender leaders and staff; the largest hiring agency of trans individuals in Thailand. SISTERS not only works to promote equal access to healthcare services and to advocate for a healthy-lifestyle and well-being of trans people in Pattaya and in Thailand. Annually, SISTERS serves over 3,700 to 4,300 clients in Pattaya and nearby provinces.
About the campaign:
In Thailand, SISTERS Foundation has worked hand in hand with the trans communities to provide support during the pandemic by starting the campaign titled “Toey Cha-Na” or “Trans will win”. This project aims to provide food pastry to trans people including immigrant workers who are LGBTIQ+ in Pattaya city, Thailand and nearby provinces. With the support from private sectors and the international agency, SISTERS is being able to provide more than 600 bags to the community members whom they cannot reach out the government programs due to their citizenship and discrimination against trans people.
In addition to this project, SISTERS operates day-to-day to provide healthcare services including HIV/STI testing, health consulting, and HIV/STI treatment referral. However, the pandemic has affected SISTERS on their operation due to a decreasing of trans people in Pattaya. Many trans people in Pattaya and nearby provinces now have lost their jobs since the Thai government announced its border restrictions combining with several occasions of lockdown policies due to the pandemic; many members of Sisters decided to move back home where some of them are facing harassment from their unaccepting families. Despite of the government’s policies, trans people are always left out from the governmental programs socially and economically. Also, healthcare services and facilities are not welcome trans people because the services are designed to serve only male and female which has created discomfort to many trans people who desperately need healthcare services. For example, many trans women are forced to stay in the governmental quarantine facilities where they have to share with all male patients because their sex at birth is male.
To continue supporting the trans communities, SISTERS will need support from you to help the organization sustain its work for the trans people as well as to continue hiring experienced staff who help run the program while funding is at stake during the pandemic.
Your donation will help SISTERS run their program and continue to be a “second home” for trans people as this reputation is perceived by the clients/members of SISTERS since its inception. Following are examples of how your donation will contribute to SISTERS’ program and activities:
For more information, please visit the following link:
Fundraising for Black trans women who have been unhoused in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Trans women living in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a post-conflict zone marked by violence, experience all kinds of discrimination and transphobia because of their gender identity and gender expression. Hateful statements coming from pastors in revivalist churches have rendered these women more vulnerable, reinforcing existing states of precariousness. This situation has increased the number of trans women living without shelter, worsened their social stability and state of health, and increased their food insecurity. That is why we must stand up today to say NO and to end this violence and alleviate the suffering that trans women in eastern DRC are enduring.
The funds collected will help a community of trans women who are living in the street and who live by sex work to survive, to have safe housing, free from transphobic threats and attacks. Many trans women living in this situation have been subject to torture, and some have been subject to “corrective” rape to punish and humiliate them. The majority of trans women who have survived “corrective rape” are HIV-positive.
Incidents of attacks on the physical integrity and bodily autonomy, attacks on human security, and attacks on general well-being have been recorded: between January and April 2021, six trans women were forced to flee their houses in one town in eastern DRC by law enforcement officers. Nine transgender women living in the street were physically and sexually attacked, four trans women living in the street were kidnapped and subjected to inhumane treatment, and five trans women were arbitrarily arrested in the street by law enforcement because of their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
Currently, we have identified 57 trans women who sleep in the streets in a large town in eastern DRC, and the number is only growing. These trans women do not have means to survive, and their lives are in danger.
The funds collected will allow us to build A HOUSE OF HOPE FOR OUR SISTERS, purchasing a house in the town of Bukavu in a safe neighborhood to house trans women, to ensure their food security for one year, and to train them in entrepreneurship.
All funds collected will be transferred to the account of the organization Rainbow Sunrise Mapambazuko, which will use the funds to buy a house and to make it available to our sisters and to ensure their livelihoods and to train them on entrepreneurship to allow our sisters to have the capacity to seek employment or to create their own businesses.
What happens to our sisters is a daily occurrence, and there is nobody to help them. Please, support trans women in the eastern DRC today and make a donation with all that you can and share this.
On April 9, the La Soufriere volcano erupted, causing the evacuation of thousands from surrounding villages in St. Vincent. We will provide immediate assistance to LGBTQ+ evacuees affected by the volcanic eruption and already battling with COVID-19 and discrimination in a region that criminalizes their conduct. Our relief assistance will include food packages, clean water, hygiene kits, sanitary products, clothing, heavy-duty face masks, relocation and housing support.
Challenge
LGBTQ+ and PLHIV, already on the margins, face barriers in accessing shelter, food, medical and other assistance during emergencies. With many displaced after the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano, LGBTQ+ and PLHIV can fall through the cracks or feel forced to hide their status, sexuality and/or gender identity to access help or avoid discrimination.
Solution
Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) will co-ordinate with partners on the ground in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Dominica, and Saint Lucia to provide emergency assistance to LGBTQ+ persons who have been evacuated from their homes in St. Vincent. This will bolster efforts by eastern Caribbean governments already mobilised to shelter, feed and clothe thousands in need. This project will also provide relocation and housing support, care services, mobile credit for emergency communication and *safe spaces* for those most-at-risk.
Long-Term Impact
The discrimination faced by PLHIV and LGBT+ people in a criminalised environment does not dissipate during an emergency, that the existing challenges are amplified/exacerbated. This is of utmost urgency especially this time with the COVID-19 pandemic still a problem and with the start of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season (June 1st – November 30th) fast approaching LGBTQ+ Vincentians still face a number of challenges. This fund will prevent many LGBTQ+ Vincentians from going back into the closet in order to access emergency assistance and will improve, safety and well-being. It will also strengthen the network of advocacy organisations and their connections to the community.
Colin Robinson reads from his book “You Have Your Father Hard Head” in New York in October 2019. File photo/Sean Drakes. –
The Colin Robinson Hard Head Award – Description & Purpose
Inspired by the fearless ways in which Colin Robinson uses creative imagination to speak out against injustice, CAISO: Sex and Gender Justice launched the inaugural Colin Robinson Hard Head Award on July 29, 2020, at a joint Bocas Lit Fest/CAISO Sex & Gender Justice event, The Treachery in Every Poem, to celebrate the poetry of Colin Robinson. The award seeks to recognize and honour exceptional leadership in transforming how others see and imagine the world, particularly in the spheres of Transformational Activism, Artistic Boldness and Meaningful Solidarity. The purpose of the annual Award is to support individuals working towards equity and justice for all, whose work – like Colin’s – connects political advocacy, creativity, and coalition building. Named for Colin Robinson’s 2016 book of poems, You Have You Father Hard Head, the Award celebrates Caribbean understandings of the phrase, “Hard Head”, signifying persistence, stubbornness, relentlessness, and focus.
CAISO’s beautiful, intrepid, and tireless founder, Colin Robinson, passed away on March 4th, 2021 in Washington D.C. after a protracted battle with cancer. Colin’s impact on how sexuality, gender, power, and justice are articulated, experienced, and legislated within the Caribbean was globally felt and recognised. Over the last 40 years, Colin courageously led the conversation around how black and brown people reclaim their queerness in spaces from which they are often shunned. This unfaltering courage led to his co-founding, leading and facilitating several of the most influential LGBTI+ organisations and movements within the Caribbean, namely the Coalition Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO) (founded in 2009) in Trinidad and Tobago – renamed CAISO: Sex and Gender Justice in 2016.
The work of CAISO continues as we build upon Colin’s legacy and decades of coalition and movement building for human rights and social justice. We awarded the 2020 inaugural award during an online ceremony on 21st November 2020, and Colin was with us to announce the winner and honourable mentions: https://caisott.org/the-2020-hard-head-award. The Hard Head Award is part of Colin’s legacy and we invite all those who want to build with us to donate and help us continue to support the work of activists in Trinidad and Tobago and beyond. We look forward to welcoming more nominations for 2021 and in the future with your help.
For more information about CAISO and our work, please visit the CAISO website: caisott.org or email us at caisott@gmail.com
NOTE: Please note that all donations are US tax deductible.
IRCA Casabierta is a San Jose-based organization that assists LGBTI international migrants in seeking asylum and settling into safe living situations in Costa Rica. Costa Rica promises freedom, security, and equality to LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers in Latin America. Threats of violence against queer people are far lower in Costa Rica than nearby countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
IRCA Casabierta focuses on all aspects of a migrant’s relocation and resettlement journey by covering costs associated with international migration, offering food and rent stipends for LGBTI refugees and immigrants in Costa Rica, and supporting resettled LGBTI folks through psychological, legal, and health services. They are planning to finance the relocation of 11 transgender women from around the greater Latin American region and need financial support.
IRCA Casabierta wants to raise enough money to relocate 11 transgender women and support them for a total of six months: one month to relocate to Costa Rica, plus their first five months in San Jose. Per person, the costs of relocation ($560) plus six months’ worth of living costs in Costa Rica (6 x $500 = $3,000) costs $3,560. In their plans to assist 11 women, IRCA Casabierta needs your help to raise a total of $39,160.
All contributions made toward this goal will make a substantial impact. Consider whether you might be able to support the costs affiliated with a specific aspect of IRCA Casabierta’s demonstrated needs. Can you contribute $30 to cover fees associated with immigration procedures? Are you able to donate $50 to cover IRCA Casabierta’s institutional services? Can you help pay for some or all of the $290 needed to make rent each month?
Your donations will save lives and enable 11 transgender women to create new futures for themselves in a safe environment. We thank you for your support!
Community Health Initiative for Youth in Nigeria (CHIYN) is a LGBTIQ-led organization base in Abuja (FCT) and Minna (Niger State) Nigeria. Our focus is on the health and well-being of our community. We exist because of major challenges in Nigeria regarding human rights for LGBTIQ people. Due to the 2014 Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, as well as the existence of Sharia law in parts of Northern Nigeria, our community members continue to suffer; lacking support from families and communities, as well as lacking access to quality health (including mental health) services.
CHIYN Mental Health Campaign CHIYN Staff arriving at Community Clinic
Already marginalized, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our LGBTIQ community severely. Many members have lost their jobs and housing; and are struggling to survive. Mental health challenges and depression have increased. Just last week, we had three members seriously threaten to commit suicide. Many of our community members have been shunned by their families and communities because of their LGBTIQ status, hence, we have stepped up to help each other survive.
CHIYN has been a beacon of hope for many. Over the past few years, we have grown to not only advocate for better conditions for LGBTIQ people, we now are operating our own mental health service, and helping to manage physical health services specifically for LGBTIQ persons via USAID and other donor funds. We also are forging relationships with our local government to promote the health of our community.
Over the past 12 months, we reached over 23,000 LGBTQI people with health messages; and to date we are assisting over 600 LGBTQI people to remain on HIV treatment. We also are currently helping to house 80 LGBTQI persons in Abuja and Minna (Niger State). In the past year, we also documented and responded to over 450 cases of gender-based violence.
For the past eight months under COVID-19 lockdowns, we have pooled our limited personal resources to provide emergency food assistance, temporary safe housing and mental health support for numerous community members. However, the need greatly outpaces the minimal resources we have. We really need additional support. A small amount goes a long way. Please consider supporting us!
Thank you so much for your support!
CHIYN Community Forum on Human Rights CHIYN Community Member
Two months ago, the Rustin Fund was deeply saddened by the death of Yves Yomb – a founding member of Alternatives-Cameroon, one of the first and most dynamic LGBTI organizations in Cameroon. Based in Douala, Yves had formerly been the Executive Director of Alternatives, serving thousands of LGBTI persons in Cameroon with health and rights programming, as well as helping to build movements of LGBTI persons throughout West Africa. Yves was humble but bold and brave leader, always championing his community in an extremely homophobic context.
In honor of his life, on what would have been his 45th birthday (Aug 23), the Rustin Fund has teamed up with Alternatives-Cameroon to host a matching grant fundraiser. The Rustin Fund has secured funding to match donations (up to $2500), towards supporting activities of Alternatives-Cameroon. Yves championed younger LGBTI people, and there are plans to set up a scholarship fund in his honor. Your donation will serve to support this effort, as well as continuing the visionary work Yves did in Alternatives-Cameroon.
Please join us in reaching our goal of $5000 to be raised in Yves honor.
Mexico-based Brújula Intersexual makes intersex issues visible by denouncing the human rights violations experienced by intersex people. In distributing information to and providing workshops for the general public as well as public servants, doctors, psychologists, and other professionals, Brújula Intersexual also collaborates with national human rights organizations to develop policies that protect intersex people from discrimination and that protect their human rights. Brújula Intersexual stands against medically unnecessary surgeries, which intersex infants and minors are subjected to without their fully informed consent. These surgeries violate their right to self-determination, bodily integrity and physical autonomy.
In the time of COVID-19, the intersex community in Mexico and Latin America are facing exacerbated situations. These include the inability to access essential medications–such as those necessary for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, an intersex variation–and difficulty accessing life-saving medical treatments for long-term issues resulting from intersexual genital mutilation and other medical conditions.
Brújula Intersexual has stepped up to support the intersex community in Mexico and the region and is working to provide basic needs during this urgent time. Medical support can help to prevent death, prevent incapacitation from neglected health needs, and to reduce complications due to the lack of access to healthcare. Brújula Intersexual is also working to support people’s food needs as well as their ability to communicate with friends and loved ones and to receive psychosocial support in this critical time.
COVID-19 has affected many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in Jamaica with seven in every eight person indicating it has had financial, social, mental or emotional impact on them.
Over the last couple weeks, since the first case was reported, a number of people have reached out to us at J-FLAG, WE-Change, Transwave Jamaica and Equality Youth JA for assistance with food and other daily expenses. Through donations received, we were able to assist a little over two hundred persons in Kingston & St Andrew, St Catherine and St Elizabeth with care packages but, as you can imagine, this is not enough.
We desperately need your help to provide assistance to those who are unable to work and have lost their income and those who are homeless as this is a really difficult time for many people.
In April, an online survey conducted among over 200 LGBTQ people found that due to COVID:
24.24% of LGBTQ people have lost their job;
29.29% are unable to afford to pay rent, utilities and other bills; and
30.3% are unable to buy groceries.
The #GiveOneHelpOne campaign seeks to raise funds to prepare and distribute care packages with food and toiletries to LGBTQ Jamaicans who are in need.
We need your help to support those who desperately need our help. Your donation will go a far way in helping those who are in need during this time.
Thank you so much for your kind donation. We truly appreciate your kindness and support in this difficult time.
Regards,
Jaevion, Shawna, Neish & Raihn from
J-FLAG, WE-Change, Transwave Jamaica and Equality Youth JA
APCOM wants a world where all gay men, other men who have sex with men and people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics can fully participate in and achieve sustainable development in all aspects of their health, rights and wellbeing.
Formed in 207, APCOM is a Bangkok-based NGO network of over 200 community-based organisations across 38 countries in the Asia Pacific region. The organisation’s primary focus is reducing the impact of HIV on vulnerable communities. And APCOM works to improve human rights and access to healthcare for LGBTI people in partnership with civil society groups, government agencies, diplomatic missions and international organisations like the UN and the Global Fund.
Standing for HIV, Equality and Rights, the HERO Awards is an annual gala event in Bangkok which acknowledges outstanding service to the HIV response in Asia and the Pacific, and to the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) communities. The HERO Awards also raises money for the HIV and LGBTI human rights work of APCOM, a leading Asia Pacific HIV and LGBTI community network based in Bangkok.
Taking place on Friday 22 November at the Netherlands Ambassador’s Residence in Bangkok, the HERO Awards is a special fundraising event for the Bangkok-based APCOM Foundation, a leading NGO which works to fight HIV and advance LGBTI health and rights across the Asia Pacific region.
View the video of the HERO Awards event in 2018 which was hosted at the British Ambassador’s Residence, THANK YOU so much for your support last year!
In a small country in Central Asia called Kyrgyzstan, the LGBT+ community is daily plagued with stigmatization and discrimination. They face limited access to social services, abuse from police, illegal detentions, blackmailing, domestic violence, physical attacks, rape and even torture. They lack safe environments where they can meet, socialize, talk or just simply be themselves.
Recent constitutional amendments, passed via a referendum, have strengthened the power of the state at both the cost of democracy and civic society. The state campaign advocating for the amendments was full of anti-LGBT messages, with particular focus on changing the definition of marriage from between two adults to between a man and a woman. A discriminatory bill, which seeks to criminalize the promotion of LGBT+ rights in a similar fashion to Russia, is making its way through parliament.
Safe spaces are vitally important for communities such as ours and that is why NGO Kyrgyz Indigo is raising funds for a “Rainbow House” (watch the video here). This community centre will offer:
a safe haven where excluded, abandoned or terrorized LGBT+ persons can find shelter;
a creative space where LGBT+ people can collaborate and fulfill their potential;
a learning environment where we can empower each other;
a secluded area for LGBT+ people to socialize without fear of being forcefully outed;
a secure base, financially sustainable, for us to continue helping LGBT+
Our desire to establish the Rainbow House comes not just in the face of the challenges mentioned above but also with the aim of making our society more inclusive and diverse, and foster a commitment to human rights and equal opportunities.
Creating and equipping the Rainbow House with all it needs to accommodate LGBT+ people in need and to enable us to continue standing up for their rights is expensive and resource consuming. We estimate the total cost to be around $100,000, of which so far we’ve raised $52,000.
Every dollar donated by you will move us closer to our main goal of creating a space where gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex and transgender persons, as well as their allies and families, can freely express their sexual orientations and gender identities. It will be a space where diversity, equality, mutual understanding, respect and positive recognition are embraced, something crucial for the spiritual, intellectual and physical development of us all.
By donating to our cause you will be contributing tremendously to LGBT+ activism not only in Kyrgyzstan but also in Central Asia, as whilst the situation is difficult in our country, in the four other countries in Central Asia the situation is worse. For many, Kyrgyzstan is a refuge and the Rainbow House could be invaluable for their safety and wellbeing. You will also be actively playing a part in creating an inclusive country with equal rights for all.
Once the Rainbow House has been established, you are invited to visit our beautiful home, giving you the opportunity to witness a part of the world you might not have explored before. Alternatively, you could become a volunteer for Kyrgyz Indigo, helping promote equal rights in Kyrgyzstan.
This campaign is part of a series of ongoing fundraisers. If we raise just $7,000 more, the Rainbow House will become a reality! We know that Kyrgyz Indigo’s Rainbow House will be key to empowering the LGBT+ community to stand up for their rights and help transform Kyrgyzstan into a country that values diversity, respects human rights and appreciates the rule of law.
LGBTI people are often left out of Caribbean disaster relief responses. In the wake of the first hurricane of the season, many displaced LGBT persons in the Bahamas are urgently in need of safe and friendly temporary housing. The Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) Coalition, is the largest indigenous charity working in the area of human rights and sexual and reproductive health in the region. CVC has teamed up with the Rustin Fund to get rapid and urgent assistance to our LGBT brothers and sisters in the Bahamas. This is a direct lifeline of support managed by CVC through LGBT groups in the Bahamas ensuring emergency funds reach them quickly. It is made possible solely thanks to your kindness and generosity.
We received sad news on Sunday, December 30, 2018 that our office — affectionately monikered ‘Rainbow House’ — was engulfed in fire late in the evening. The fire which caused severe damage and destruction to the building and its contents.
Though the property did not belong to us, it became our home where we worked and made history having staged most of our first pride events there. As staff and community members stood there that night while the fire blazed our spirits fell. It’s even more a damper on our spirits and significant impediment on our work given Rainbow House was a safe space for the community. It was there we held many activities to build community, educational sessions around laws and policies and human rights, document human rights violations, convene support groups for transgender and non-gender conforming persons and discuss issues such as self stigma and internalized homophobia and transphobia and violence perpetrated against LGBT people. Already, this is hampering our ability to undertake these and related activities at low cost.
While investigations are still ongoing, there is evidence that the severity of the fire means we have lost most of our files, equipment, furniture and other supplies (cumulatively 90% damage). From our calculations of the contents in the building that were destroyed, we estimate we will need about US $50,000 – US $60,000 to recover them and achieve some level of normalcy in our operations.
*The cost of the damage to the building is not known.
We are very grateful to the support that we have received thus far from everyone. We are slowly resuming operations on will continue to fundraise to restore all we lost to effectively operate and under the critical work we must do for the local LGBT community.
Please make a donation to help us restore and continue our operations to ensure protection of the rights of LGBT people in Jamaica.
We are also open to other forms of support. Interested persons and organisations can email us at rebuilding@jflag.org.
*Funds are being raised by Rustin Fund for J-FLAG. All donations received will go directly to J-FLAG in Jamaica to recover what was lost and does not, in anyway, include costs for damage to the building.
Stop AIDS in Liberia (SAIL) was founded 28 September 1998 with the aims and objectives of creating HIV and AIDS awareness targeting Youth, Sex Workers, PLWHIV, SOGI, Home Based Care and Counseling for community members.
VISION:
SAIL envision a non-discriminatory and an AIDS free society where Liberians live healthier and happier lives.
MISSION:
The mission of SAIL is to contribute to the reduction of the spread of HIV and AIDS through the promotion of human rights.
Core values: (The Seven We of SAIL)
We promote diversity
We are Participants Focused
We embrace Integrity
We advocate for Justice
We believe and practice Professionalism
We strive for quality and excellence
We foster Partnerships
Identity: SAIL Color is Red, White and Blue where red stand for Blood representing where HIV lives mostly in body and white stands for Body fluids and the sign for peace! And Blue for living in reality of time and national transformation for human rights development and Protection for all for national commitment and ties.
MOTTO:
SAILING though the Walls of HIV and Human Rights Violations where by promoting, advocating and protecting the Rights of all!
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
SAIL operate in 12 counties namely:
Montserrado
Margibi
Grand Bassa
Lofa
Bong
Nimba
Grand Cape
Bomi
Gbarpolu
Grand Gedeh
River Gee
Maryland
BENEFICIARIES, ORGANIZATION & LEADERSHIP:
Beneficiaries of SAIL projects and programs are approximately 1,000 members of the LGBTI and Key Population including PLHIV community. The organization and leadership consists of a Board of Directors who makes policy decisions and establishes the mission and goals. An Executive Director heads the Senior Management Team (SMT) which includes a Program Manager and Finance Officer. Stephen K. McGill is the Executive Director and Professor Stephen M. Jubwe, Sr. serve as the Chairman, Board of Directors
