Dear Colleagues,
Today on World Refugee Day, we celebrate the contributions migrants make to every country they reside. But even as we honor them, we cannot forget that their journey is often one of survival, not choice.
According to the UN, right now, 1 in every 69 people have been forced to flee their homelands because of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order. About 40 percent of the world’s refugees are children despite making up only 30 percent of the population. Also, state-sanctioned persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is on the rise, driving even more displacement across the world.
It is during these trying times we draw inspiration from the work of members across the Network. Organizations like Fondo Semillas, Rise Up, Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism, Rockflower, MADRE, Frontline Women’s Fund, The Haitian Women’s Collective, Fund for Congolese Women, Global Foundation for Girls, and Global Fund for Women are funding grassroots groups at the frontlines of migration crisis. They also stay with these groups long-term as communities work to create cultures of justice, equality and peace.
As feminist funders, we know that economic security and peace are intertwined. Now is the time for a migration policy framework that centers the wellbeing of marginalized genders of ethnic minorities and in communities of color. Now is the time to interrogate violent global systems of power that drive millions of people from their homes and homelands each year.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO