Region Overview
For over 40 years, Mama Cash has been a steadfast supporter of feminist groups, investing €18 million to accompany hundreds of feminist groups across 30 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean. Behind these numbers are powerful stories of resilience, courage, and change.
Across the Americas and the Caribbean, feminist groups are achieving incredible victories for reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental justice, and economic justice. But they cannot continue this work alone.
Read on to discover more about their achievements and learn how you can help sustain these vital efforts. Your support can bolster these movements and fuel the next wave of change.
€18
Million
30
Countries
“Feminist activists have the vision and the power to transform our world”
“Towards strong, autonomous, pluralist, inclusive, and resilient feminist movements.”
At Mama Cash, we believe that every woman, girl, trans and intersex person deserves the right to make decisions about their own body and sexuality. For many, decriminalising abortion is not just a legal change – it’s a lifeline. It means being able to make deeply personal choices about their bodies without fear of punishment, stigma, or shame. It’s the difference between accessing safe medical care or being forced into unsafe, illegal procedures that endanger their health and lives.
This is the future we strive for every day, supporting our grantee-partners in their relentless fight for reproductive justice. When abortion is decriminalised, it does more than change laws – it changes lives.
But the path to justice is never easy. In every corner of the world, feminist activists face obstacles, yet their fierce activism has led to significant victories in recent years.
Impact Story
Abortion justice in Argentina
For years, having a safe and legal abortion in Argentina seemed like an impossible dream. Countless women were forced into unwanted marriages or motherhood, with no alternative and no way out. But in 2020, everything changed. After years of tireless advocacy, the right to safe and legal abortion in Argentina was finally secured.
This victory was born from the unstoppable Marea Verde (Green Wave) – a movement that grew over 15 years from just 70 organisations to over 700. Feminists, LBTQI activists, and students joined hands to claim this right. Several of Mama Cash’s grantee-partners were proudly among them. Lesbianas y Feministas por la Despenalización del Aborto (LyF) launched an Abortion Hotline to answer the calls of people who had nowhere else to turn. Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir introduced the green bandana, which became a powerful symbol of the Green Wave movement, worn proudly in the streets by millions. And La Campaña Nacional por el Derecho al Aborto Legal, Seguro y Gratuito spearheaded the 15-year-long campaign, using protests, art, and petitions to keep the conversation alive and maintain pressure on parliamentarians.
All these efforts came together in a historic victory in December 2020, when Argentina passed a new law securing the right to safe and legal abortion. But the fight isn’t over. The struggle for reproductive justice continues across the world, and it needs your support.
With your monthly donation, you can keep this movement alive. Join us in supporting these brave feminists and help create a world where no one is denied their fundamental rights. Donate now, and be part of this movement for change.
“When we started, abortion was censored. Ten years later, the topic has exploded. It went from being forbidden knowledge to being basic knowledge.”
Luli Sanchez, LyF Director
Every day, across the globe, lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) people fight against a tide of discrimination, violence, and exclusion simply for being who they are. These challenges are often compounded by sexism, forcing many to navigate a world where they are pushed to the margins not only because of their sexual orientation but also because of their gender. Their struggles are often hidden, and their voices drowned out by prejudice.
These are the voices that Mama Cash is committed to uplifting. For over 40 years, we have accompanied LBQ groups in their efforts to build spaces of care, joy, and courage. Their incredible work has led to monumental wins: marriage equality, the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships, and adoption rights for same-sex couples in over a dozen countries.
But progress is hard-won, and the fight is far from over. And so we continue to support LBQ organisations and partner with those calling for a better world.
Impact Story
Advancing marriage equality in the Americas and the Carribean
Just four years after its founding, Mama Cash awarded its first grant to a lesbian group based outside the Netherlands. Mama Cash’s grant to Mitilene, a pioneering lesbian rights group in the Dominican Republic, enabled them to travel to Mexico for the first-ever meeting of American and Caribbean lesbians – a key moment in building regional solidarity.
Over the years, Mama Cash has funded LBQ activists to participate in at least 11 regional American and Caribbean Feminist and Lesbian encuentros, essential gatherings where activists come together to strengthen their movements. Thanks to this sustained support, LBQ movements in the region have grown significantly, driving change all over the world.
Today, countries in the Americas and the Caribbean are notably among the few in the Global South to have made major strides in marriage equality, decriminalisation of same-sex sexual behaviour, and enabling adoption by same-sex couples. These milestones were achieved because activist communities – including Mama Cash’s grantee-partners – claimed their space and pushed society forward.
But the fight for equality is far from over. As LBQ communities across the Americas and the Caribbean continue to face rising threats, hostility, and setbacks, the need for solidarity and support has never been more urgent. We cannot allow the progress made to be undone.
This fight needs allies. It needs resources, solidarity, and action. With your monthly donation, activist communities can continue to dismantle barriers, advance equality, and create a world where everyone, regardless of who they love, can live freely and with dignity.
Donate now and be part of this vital work for freedom, justice, and love.
“Latin America stands out as the only region in the
Global South to make major strides in marriage equality, with progressive laws
enacted in nine countries“
Despite the many achievements over the years, we cannot ignore the immense challenges our grantee-partners continue to face. Across the region, democratic setbacks in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Venezuela make it increasingly difficult for civil society organisations to carry out their vital work. Meanwhile, the region is also grappling with a severe crisis marked by economic instability, escalating violence against women, and environmental degradation. The migration crisis and the alarming rise in femicides are intensifying these difficulties even further.
Now, with the growing rise of authoritarianism, the stakes are higher than ever. Reproductive justice and the rights of informal workers, in particular, are under threat, and courageous activists need our support to push back.
Your support is more than just a donation – it’s a lifeline. It’s a powerful act of solidarity that gives our grantee-partners the resources they need to confront these challenges. Whether you make a one-time donation or a monthly commitment, every contribution helps our grantee-partners continue the fight for justice, equity, and freedom.
Together, we can safeguard hard-won rights, protect our communities, and build a brighter, more just future for generations to come. Donate today and be a part of this critical movement for change.
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