The Women’s International Solidarity Program of the Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) is pleased to introduce two new international project partners based in Nepal and Brazil, selected through a recent call for proposals for international development projects and worker-led initiatives supporting women workers.
Earlier this year, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund launched a pilot call for proposals outside of Canada to expand the international partners of the Humanity Fund that help advance strategic women’s rights and labour issues. Hundreds of applications were received from organizations in many countries and on different continents. The SHF reviewed all these proposals, and a volunteer panel of USW Women of Steel decided on the final selected projects. We thank everyone who applied.
The Steelworkers Humanity Fund will be working with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) in Nepal, an organization dedicated to changing lives and societies within equity-seeking and disfranchised communities by building capacity through the use of training, community facilitation, and setting up local development activities.
With this new funding, ICA will promote the socio-economic rights and occupational health safety of women waste workers in the metropolitan area of the capital, Kathmandu. This project will enable the health and well-being of women and advocate for policies and regulations that support waste workers. This initiative also aims to enhance the leadership skills of women employed in waste and landfill sites, supporting organizing efforts that improve wages, labour rights and health and safety.
In Brazil, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund has partnered with Mulheres Que Reagem, an organization led by Afro-descendant and women of colour activists who began to organize and work to challenge violence and racism in impoverished neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro. This organization will provide training in welding, quality control inspection and occupational health and safety education to women from underserved communities. It will advocate in the steel industry to increase the number of women active in this sector. The project, funded by the Steelworkers Humanity Fund, will offer women professional technical training and job mentoring while liaising with unions to help create a more inclusive and equitable workforce.
The Steelworkers Humanity Fund welcomes our two new partners and is thrilled to have an increased number of projects supporting women workers worldwide, strengthening our commitment to elevate women’s issues in Canada and globally.
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