THE Caribbean Feminist Climate Justice Movement (CFCJM), in partnership with the Global Fund for Women, has awarded grants totalling US$75,000 in funding to locally based grass roots organisations Jamaica Climate Change Youth Council, Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers, and Jamaica Women in Coffee. These historic grants will finance grass roots initiatives in Jamaica that address the critical intersection of climate action and gender justice.

The selected grantee partners are among 22 grass roots organisations from 10 countries across the Caribbean working at the intersection of feminist organising and climate justice. The women-led groups work on tackling the pressing challenges posed by climate change to marginalised groups, including women and gender diverse people, indigenous and rural communities, and people of African and Indian descent. Twenty-two organisations from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, The Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago were successful in accessing grants based on their innovative approaches to advancing climate resilience, gender equality, and social justice.

The Global Fund for Women is a key champion for the movement in the Caribbean, providing generous financial support while also building capacity and fostering connections to ensure the continued growth and success of the CFCJM.

Ayesha Constable, technical director for climate justice at the Global Fund for Women (GFW) said the activists that are part of the movement, most of whom are women and girls, live in the communities besieged by climate change and best understand the needs of those most at risk.

“As women, historical and current drivers of gender inequality perpetuate the injustices they are subjected to, which are exacerbated by the climate crisis. This underscores the importance of their [women’s] leadership in responses which are rooted in justice, equity, and access for all; that challenges the systems that drive the climate crisis; and that engenders innovative approaches to knowledge building, adaptation, mitigation, and collective action,” she said.

Each organisation received US$25,000 to support projects championing climate justice at the intersection of food security, economic justice, and gender justice. This funding is part of CFCJM’s broader goal to facilitate accessible, sustainable, and flexible funding for Caribbean feminist organisations which traditionally experience financing challenges and promote feminist climate justice, ensuring that vulnerable communities across the Caribbean are equipped to combat the impacts of climate change.