Espaço Feminista

The issue:

Conceição das Crioulas is a community whose rights have been violated for centuries. It is comprised of about 750 quilombola* families in Pernambuco, Brazil. The quilombolas have access to and legal control of just 30% of their territory, and they face significant food and water insecurity. There is a high risk of desertification, the result of decades of farming, exploitation of communities’ territories and use of the land for cattle, which has led to poverty and the devastation of the natural vegetation.

The project:

Established in 2008, Espaço Feminista’s mission is to empower women to participate in politics and realise their human rights via education about political processes and intervention in public policies. By addressing social exclusion and both gender and race inequality, Espaço Feminista aims to support women in overcoming these inequalities and realising their human rights.

Croda Foundation has awarded Espaço Feminista £30,000 to advance women’s leadership in this marginalised community. Women will be empowered to earn an income through planting organic cotton and producing fair-trade honey. Producers will be incorporated into a well-established market and producers’ network, as well as introduced to branding and communication skills to sell their products outside the community.

These activities will be done while intentionally protecting the nearby 200-hectare caatinga biome and two water springs, preventing desertification and increasing the capacity and quality of water reservoirs. This project will not only establish a sustainable and autonomous economy, but it will also protect natural species and establish water security.

To learn more about Espaço Feminista, visit its website.

*Afro-Brazilians who are descendants of former slaves