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 here at the Rustin Fund operate as an all-volunteer organization so that all of your funding can do directly to LGBTI organizations all over the globe. We do still have a few expenses, however, such as website hosting and credit card processing fees. If you would like to donate to the Rustin Fund’s operations so that we can continue to direct all campaign contributions directly to organizations in low- and middle-income countries, please donate on this page. A donation made on this page may also go to one of our partners at the board’s discretion.
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
Join us in celebrating 10 years, and support us as we embark on the next 10!
The Last Ten | Since forming ten years ago, alQaws has emerged as the leading grassroots Palestinian LGBTQ led movement supporting individuals, building up communities, and transforming society across divisions—colonial, cultural, social, economic, etc.
Our work began in Jerusalem with a handful of activists seeking space to gather and with a vision for a society that embraces gender and sexual diversity. It has grown to include centralized hubs of work and spaces in 4 cities (and expanding), and programs and projects that reach LGBTQ individuals, youth, and communities, as well teachers, families, mental health professionals, musicians, journalists, civil society organizations, and more.
alQaws Timeline/Major Milestones
Celebrating Ten | Today, alQaws is Palestinian society’s largest and most influential organization working on LGBTQ and broader sexual and gender diversity issues. Our strategies for social change emerge from local LGBTQ needs and experiences, and our programs are locally relevant. We work across four interlinked areas:
The Next Ten | As we move forward into the next decade, we are committed to increasing our outreach to LGBT/queer Palestinian communities in more remote areas (outside the hubs we have established and thrived in), and increasing our visibility across our society to grow an even larger and more impactful movement.
Poster from alQaws’ social media campaign/ July 2017
3 Ways to Show Your Support:
1. Pledge what you can today
2. Sustain Your Support
Celebrate 10 years with a pledge $10 or more per month. Your ongoing support is so important to us that choosing the monthly option at any level means that you receive all the benefits for all levels!
3. Share this campaign with 10 friends
We value our connections to others above all else–friends, family, and social and professional networks drive the success of our work and keep us motivated in the face of hardship. Amplify what you can give and help us grow our network of support by sharing this campaign among your connections. Do you have 10 friends who can give $10? Do you have 10 friends who might together match your support of $500? Think of possibilities within your reach–let’s show the power of the crowd to support a queer Palestinian movement!
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Follow alQaws’ fundraising events in NYC (Sep. 24th – Oct. 5th) via our Facebook Page or be directly in touch with alQaws team for further details and/or for fundraising ideas: info@alqaws.org
Idea & Animation of Campaign Video: Matthew Khoury & Naif Shaqqur
In Under The Rainbow, a Nigerian lesbian narrates her journey of self-discovery. As she takes us through her experiences, we see firsthand what it is to be homosexual in an unforgivingly homophobic society, and the total alienation that can come from being despised, ostracized and ridiculed by the ones you love. This is a story of rejection and loss, but also a powerful story of triumph that comes with love.
This is not just any donation – this is your opportunity to play your role in ensuring that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice.
Your support will help change hearts towards acceptance of LGBT people in Nigeria. We believe that visual storytelling has the power to create social change. It will help to make sure that the future generations of LGBT Nigerians don’t have to grow up in the same homophobic society that exists today.
We’ve already secured the funding to complete the film. That takes care of the first part of the overall project. The second part of the project is the engagement part – making sure that the people who need to see the film actually see the film.
Securing Equality for Transgender People in Thailand
This campaign aims to combat transphobia and promote acceptance by contributing to the organizing efforts of groups, including the Thai Transgender Foundation. The Thai Transgender Foundation advocates for an improved quality of life for trans people in Thailand, working to raise awareness and secure equality under the law.
The Rustin Fund for Global Equality is a fund of the Tides Foundation, which retains discretion over the use of funds.
The Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa is a pan-African feminist organization based in Johannesburg. Its work is focused on strategic litigation to improve the human and sexual rights of women across Africa. The work is based on the belief that strategic litigation is a powerful tool for social change. The organization works to expand the pool of lawyers who can successfully promote human and sexual rights issues, and hold governments and institutions accountable for human rights violations.
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations working in developing economies. We will recommend that proceeds from these donations go to ISLA.
Support LGBTI refugees and other people impacted by crises across the Arab world Support two organizations, HELEM and the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality (AFE), which are based in Lebanon and work with LGBTI refugees and other people across the region.
AFE’s core purpose is enable lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people to become full, respected participants in societies across the Middle East and North Africa. Much of the work centers on HIV prevention and treatment, especially among men who have sex with men. It also documents the growth of the region’s gender and sexual freedom movements, and works on security and censorship issues that often inhibit freedom.
HELEM is a Beirut-based organization that works to protect and expand the rights of LGBTI people in Lebanon.
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations working in developing economies. We will recommend that proceeds from these donations go to HELEM and AFE.
Support Health and Human Rights Advocates in Cameroon, West Africa
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More LGBTI people are arrested in Cameroon than in any other country in the world. Since 1996, Alternates for Cameroun has been working to promote health and human rights for LGBTI people. Your contribution to this campaign will empower individuals and the community in their quest for tolerance, dignity, health, and security.
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations working in developing economies. We will recommend that proceeds from these donations go to Alternatives Cameroun.
Homosexuality has been decriminalized in the Ukraine since the Soviet Union’s fall, in the early 1990s. But LGBTI people in the Ukraine face significant challenges: In a 2013 poll, 80 percent of Ukrainians said they opposed any form of same-sex relations, and 63 percent described homosexuality as a “perversion” and a “mental disease.” Insight Ukraine is one of the few organizations working to improve various aspects of life–including shelter–for LGBTI Ukrainians.
Provide shelter and services and LGBTI people in Ukraine by supporting organizations like Insight Ukraine.
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations working in developing economies. We will recommend that proceeds from these donations go to Insight Ukraine.
Providing Disaster Relief to the LGBTI Persons in the Caribbean
LGBTI people have been left out of Caribbean disaster relief in the wake of a series of 2017 hurricanes that struck the region–in part because much of the recovery funding is filtered through families, and local authorities. The Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) Coalition, which provides HIV prevention and treatment to vulnerable Caribbean populations, also assists these communities in the aftermath of natural disasters. This campaign supports Hurricane Irma relief efforts.
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality at Tides Foundation, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations in low- and middle-income countries. We will recommend that proceeds go to Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) Coalition to support grassroots efforts.
Founded by a group of LGBTI young people, Aleanca supports LGBTI youth in Albania. In addition to producing regular community events, Aleanca also focuses on raising awareness around LGBTI issues as well as advocacy and lobbying for LGBTI rights. This campaign will support Aleanca’s mission, as well as funding the first LGBTI youth shelter in the region.
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality at Tides Foundation, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations working in low- and middle-income countries. We will recommend that proceeds from this campaign go to Aleanca.
Providing Economic Independence to Lesbian Refugees in eastern Africa
Executed in partnership with the Mossier Social Action and Innovation Center, this campaign benefits lesbian entrepreneurs who are developing chicken farms in refugee camps. The farms create a foundation for economic growth, enabling LGBTI refugees to support their children and sustain their economic independence.
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality at Tides Foundation, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations working in low- and middle-countries. We will recommend that funds from these donations go to the chicken farm.
Uganda’s First Trans-Owned Pig Farm Empowering Members of the LGBTI Community
Lavender Acres is a revolutionary project led by transgender people that brings the benefits of a pig farm’s operations–employment, business management experience, entrepreneurship, and food–to Uganda’s LGBTI community. Employees at Lavender Acres are trained in investing in their own sustainable businesses. This, in turn, will help LGBTI Ugandans become full, respected participants in their country’s economy.
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality at Tides Foundation, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations working in low- and middle-income countries. We will recommend that proceeds from these donations go to Lavender Acres.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Jamaicans are gearing up for their fourth annual pride in Kingston from July 31-August 6, 2018 and they need your help to stand up against the homophobia and transphobia they face in their daily lives.
J-FLAG, the foremost LGBT organisation in Jamaica, needs your help to make this momentous occasion possible. Will you help them raise 60,000 USD to host a successful pride for the Jamaican LGBT community to celebrate and build a sense of pride and belonging in being LGBT?
Pride is an opportunity for LGBT Jamaicans to reflect on their journey, mark the strides, and chart the way towards a Jamaica where they are more respected, loved and accepted.
We would greatly appreciate if you could make a donation.
Your contribution will go a far way to bring the community together for another historic celebration as we continue to fight for greater tolerance for the LGBT community.
Help us help J-FLAG provide a safe space for LGBT people in Jamaica to celebrate their pride. Every dollar you donate will help to make Jamaica a safer place for LGBT people.
Thank you for your support!
Contributions to this campaign will go to the Rustin Fund for Global Equality at Tides Foundation, which supports the work of LGBTI organizations working in low- and middle-income countries. We will recommend that proceeds from these donations go to J-FLAG.
