FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WJI Awarded Subgrant by Rainforest Alliance for USAID Initiative in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras
Patzún, Guatemala, November 12th, 2021 - The Women’s Justice Initiative (WJI) is pleased to share that it has been selected to participate in the Women’s Economic Empowerment in Mesoamerica Initiative (WEE in Mesoamerica), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Over five years, WJI will support an ambitious initiative to improve women’s market participation as a means to reduce trafficking and gender-based violence throughout Mesoamerica.
As a sub-grantee of the Rainforest Alliance, WJI will provide training and technical assistance to support community-based organizations in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras in implementing WJI’s culturally-relevant legal empowerment methodology. This is an exciting opportunity for WJI to reach an expansive range of geographically and ethnically diverse indigenous women. When the most marginalized women can live free from violence, they are better able to participate in sustainable businesses that protect forests and other ecosystems. Supporting sustainable, women-led initiatives across these countries builds upon WJI’s track record of promoting strong and safe communities in rural Guatemala.
The vision of the WEE Initiative is that by 2025, at-risk and marginalized women in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras will enter the workforce and prosper economically through their participation and leadership in local natural resource-based value chains. Support for this program comes from the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
About Rainforest Alliance: The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.
About WJI: The Women's Justice Initiative (WJI) improves the lives of Guatemalan women and girls through education, access to legal services, and gender-based violence prevention. To learn more about WJI, visit wwwo.womens-justice.org or email info@womens-justice.org.
Contact:
Katharine Richardson
katharinerichardson@womens-justice.org
(612) 810-1720
www. womens-justice.org
