The Population Connection Global Partners Program:
We are thrilled to be a part of the Population Connection Global Partners program. Population Connection has supported smaller global partner organizations since 2016. They focus on funding local and community-based organizations that include programming related to sustainable global population growth.
In Population Connections’ words, they “support a growing number of grassroots organizations around the world working to increase access to education, public health and family planning services. Their efforts make a vital difference in their local communities and represent the “final step” in [their] shared work to make the world a more just and sustainable place for everyone” (Source: Population Connection, 2023)
Our Vice President and Conservation Director Isabella Cortes sat down for a conversation with Population Connection. Read the full Q&A article here: Building a Women-Led Movement for Nature, 2023
Vice President Isabella Cortes and participants from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia who joined the family planning and reproductive health project.
As a community-based organization, Women for Conservation is proud to be recognized as one of eleven organizations chosen. They are all organizations focused on women’s leadership, family planning, indigenous rights, educational programming, and wildlife conservation.
As a community-based organization, Women for Conservation is proud to be recognized as one of eleven organizations chosen. They are all organizations focused on women’s leadership, family planning, indigenous rights, educational programming, and wildlife conservation.
Current Global Partners program members include Conservation Through Public Health in East Africa, WINGS in rural Guatemala, Stretchers Youth Organization in Kenya, Turimiquire Foundation in northeastern Venezuela, Unity for Women’s Empowerment in rural Nepal, Nasaruni Academy for Maasai Girls in rural Kenya, Lemur Love in Madagascar, Girl Up Initiative in Uganda, African Education Program in Zambia, Wuqu’ Kawoq in Guatemala, and Hope for Kenya Slum Adolescents Initiative in Kenya.
Women for Conservation is proud to join the Global Partners program and join other organizations from Kenya to Venezuela to Nepal to Guatemala in the important worldwide work of gender equality, family planning, and conservation. Read More Here: International Partnership– Women for Conservation.
Our Family Planning Initiatives:
Women for Conservation promotes a holistic approach to conservation through our three pillars:Nature Conservation, Family Planning, and Sustainable Livelihoods. When people have access to reproductive choice and are able to decide how many children they want, they are also able to make decisions about their education and career paths. Our family planning initiatives, along with our programming, such as teaching artisan crafts and our young guides program, allow people career opportunities that promote conservation and ways to live sustainably with the land.
“Our community-centered approach arose from the understanding that local people cannot invest in biodiversity conservation when they are struggling to meet their most basic needs. By enabling access to family planning resources, we prevent unintended pregnancies, which alleviates poverty, increases literacy rates, and benefits community health” – Isabella Cortes, Vice President
Women for Conservation provides ongoing family planning procedures to women in Carmen De Atrato such as non-invasive birth control implants and also tubal ligation procedures. We also conduct healthcare workshops about family planning, breast cancer awareness, and domestic violence prevention. In addition W4C offers a women’s group, artisan craft training, and a women’s forest guard training program. When women are given the choice to prevent unintended pregnancy and to plan their family size, they are given the choice to pursue other economic opportunities to better provide for their families.
Read More About Our Family Planning Initiatives for Implants and Tubal Ligations:
Breaking Barriers and Stigmas.
Our recent family planning initiatives have not only focused on women alone, but we aim to provide accessible reproductive health choices to everyone in our partner communities, including men. Last year, we launched three campaigns in honor of World Vasectomy Day. We successfully funded 43 participants to receive free vasectomy services in the capital city of Medellín. We ensure that all costs are covered during these campaigns including procedures, post-operative care, lodging, meals, and transportation.
Read More About Our Family Planning Initiatives for Vasectomies: World Vasectomy Day 2022.
The Importance of Global Partnerships:
As a globally-minded organization, Women for Conservation is also dedicated to fostering worldwide partnerships. Women for Conservation has been a partner with Birds Nepal since 2020, helping fund conservation and family planning initiatives in Nepal. Recently, Women for Conservation also partnered with Fridays for Future in Sierra Leone and Fanamby Organization in Madagascar to raise $5,000 and fully fund two conservation projects.
1. Birds Nepal, Nepal– We have been partnered with Birds Nepal since 2020 to promote participatory conservation efforts, family planning, and career training in the Nawalpur District near Chitwan National Park. Read More Here: Celebrating Our Partnership. We have also been able to fund several environmental awareness safaris for local 5th graders to Chitwan National Park to inspire conservation efforts at an early age. Read More Here: Educational Safari Inspires 5th Graders.
2. Fridays for Future, Sierra Leone– In our first partnership with Fridays for Future in Waterloo, Sierra Leone we provided reforestation training to 100 local women to help reverse climate change effects due to local deforestation. We aim to make this a yearly project. Read More Here: Reforestation Training for 100 Women in Sierra Leone.
3. Fanamby Organization Madagascar– we partnered with Fanamby Organization to fund six women forest rangers responsible for protecting 800-year old Baobab trees, known as Baobab Alley, and to fund a permanent tree nursery. Read More Here: Support Women Forest Rangers & Baobab Reforestation.
We are thrilled to be Population Connection Global Partners and for the recognition of our important work in areas of family planning and conservation. We are a community-based organization with a global vision to promote the advancement of family planning access and conservation resources to communities around the world.