Pacific Feminist Fund to address stagnating and declining funding for women’s empowerment in the Pacific

The Pacific Feminist Fund aims to address the stagnating and declining funding for women’s empowerment in the Pacific so that dialogues with Pacific women’s organizations are more informed and inclusive.

This has been highlighted by feminist Pacific Development Geographer, Professor Yvonne Underhill-Sem during the Launch of the Pacific Feminist Fund, the first stand-alone regional fund for Pacific women’s rights organizations.

She says the need to create an independent Pacific Feminist Fund is to facilitate engagement with new financing modalities and to improve the transparency of funding data.

Underhill-Sem says the PFF will also ensure that the pulse of feminist hearts remains strong and fuelled by resources that will make a difference in women’s lives regardless of the hue of their skin, the superiority of their skill or knowledge, quality of their education, and their leadership potential.

Meanwhile, Pacific Feminist Fund CoLead Michelle Reddy says the PFF will provide support to women’s organizations making a difference in communities and in families which are usually left behind because they do not meet the prerequisites of bigger, traditional donors.

She says this will help to address increasing issues of violence against women, girls, transgender and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex community and social inclusion of women and LGBTQI living with a disability.

Reddy says the modality used for such funds accommodates organizational, small sizes, and minimal capacity to manage human and monetary resources.

The Pacific Feminist Fund is registered as a Charitable Board of Trustees in New Zealand and will also register in Samoa. The Board of Trustees is made up of Pacific feminists, Yvonne Underhill-Sem, and Teretia Tokam, Virisila Buadromo and Ofa Ki-Levuka Likiliki Guttenbeil.