MADRE

Gender violence, including physical and sexual abuse, is widely used to intimidate, oppress, silence and subjugate girls, women, disabled and LGBTIQ people across the globe. It devastates those who are targeted and destroys the social fabric of families, communities and societies.

In short, gender violence is one of the most significant barriers to women, girls and LGBTIQ people accessing their human rights. Together with our partners, we help people to heal from gender violence and become powerful advocates to end it. We build clinics and counseling centers. We equip women with tools to prevent abuse in war and disaster. And every day, we affirm that gender violence doesn’t have to be a fact of life.

Our partners need us most when a disaster hits or when war breaks out. That's why MADRE launched an Emergency and Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund lets us act immediately and effectively. We bring crucial resources–like food, water, medical care and shelter– directly to the women and families most in need.

Women are often hardest hit. That's because they have fewer resources to start with and often have no safety net. Women are also responsible for those made most vulnerable–children, the elderly and people who are ill or disabled.

But women need more than aid. Women at the community level must be allowed to lead in relief efforts. When community women distribute emergency aid, it has the best chance of reaching those most in need. ​That's why MADRE's support strengthens community women's efforts in times of crisis. By partnering directly with local women's groups, we're able to mobilize resources quickly and efficiently. We can carry out relief efforts in ways that respond to the priorities and perspectives of local communities.

Through out Women-Centered Disaster Relief, we sustain and empower our sisters worldwide, and help rebuild communities on a stronger foundation.

Women are vital defenders of communities in times of war. They mobilize humanitarian aid, health care and shelter. They heal rifts between individuals and communities and address the trauma of war survivors.

Despite this essential role, women are often overlooked in peace processes – a missed opportunity to build durable peace. Research has shown that women’s meaningful participation in peace negotiations results in agreements 35% more likely to last at least 15 years. Peace depends on women. MADRE supports grassroots women’s groups striving to create peaceful, just communities in which everyone can thrive. Together, we bring urgent aid to communities, work to address root causes of conflict and advance rights through women’s participation in peace processes.Peace depends on women. MADRE supports grassroots women’s groups striving to create peaceful, just communities in which everyone can thrive. Together, we bring urgent aid to communities, work to address root causes of conflict and advance rights through women’s participation in peace processes.

Our current campaign, No Borders on Gender Justice, shines a light on increasingly repressive policies perpetrated by the Trump Administration and other right-wing forces. We mobilize our networks and strategies to protect people put at risk, promote collaborative feminist movement building and offer alternatives for a more gender just future.

We recognize that this moment of political crisis—defined by a resurgent global right-wing—is also an opportunity to strengthen movements for justice. We seek to build bridges between US activist movements and our partners in the Global South, using strategic exchanges, collaborative campaigns, human rights advocacy, targeted grantmaking and public education to sustain and advance the work of progressive social justice activists.

We aim to elevate the visibility, voice and power of women and girls, refugees, migrants, Muslims, and LGBTIQ individuals and communities, as well as racial justice activists targeted for state repression.