Fórum Suape empowers women's groups with Dare to Trust-grants

What the members of Fórum Suape noticed was that, in all conversations with the different groups, one common concern stood out: women's mental health. All the women feel overwhelmed by the developments and threats in their areas, especially the women leaders. This impacts every aspect of their lives. Therefore, they wanted to leverage this resource in a way that could help mitigate the feeling of being overwhelmed among the participants. 

Empowering by making jam

The women of Quilombo Ilha de Mercês built a small kitchen to produce all kinds of food, for instance guava jam and banana caramelada (a caramel banana cake). A quilombo is a Brazilian settlement established by escaped enslaved people.They share recipes, produce the fruits in their own gardens, sell the food and meet each other in a safe place. Making jam together is also a form of therapy. They invite women to join and turn themselves into entrepreneurs. 

One of the women: “When someone might ask, are you going to empower yourself by selling a jar of jam? Yes, I’m going to empower myself by selling a jar of sweets. I made it, I produced it, I’m selling it, I’m meeting new people, I’m making new friends. I want to inspire other women to be strong.”

Watch the full movie (in Portuguese):

A space for women to come together 

In one village there was no communal space for women to come together. The men ruled the communal areas and women had no place. With the donation from Dare to Trust, the women from Raízes da Resistência (Roots of Resistance) built their collective community kitchen where they produce jams, jellies, cakes and breads. They saw the potential to create traditional sweets, using artisanal methods such as wood-fired cooking, going against the traditional idea of development. Additionally, they agreed to invest part of the resources in a garden to plant food products. They created a community kitchen called Raízes da Resistência, which is not only a production space but also a place for gathering, sharing, and learning among the women participating. 

One of the women: “It was an old dream to have our own kitchen. And every cent has been invested in improving this collective, this space. We believe that it has only strengthened our group even more. We welcome others to come and join us too.”

Watch the full movie (in Portuguese):

Surfing and building bridges

In this town the women group Associação Todas Para o Mar invested in their community centre, where they focus on strengthening women and children through joint sport events. Their many activities are aimed at social transformation and it serves as a welcoming space for everyone—children, women, and the community in general. They upgraded the place with a vegetable garden, musical instruments, sewing machines, educational material like land charts and a classroom where activities can take place such as yoga, capoeira and workshops. They have reached out to 85 children, 120 women and 250 families in the community. They are very passionate about surfing together on the beach while bridging the gap between cultures and skin color. 

One of the women: “This is a space for social transformation, especially for black women and children; it‘s a welcoming space for the whole community. It has helped us to keep growing, thriving and embracing more and more people, more women and more children.”

Watch the full movie (in Portuguese):

Uniting fisherwomen for joint mobilisation

The fisherwomen of Mangue Mulher in the town of Itapojuca, state of Pernambuco, have seen a rapid decline of fish in their fishing waters. Large scale dredging for a port in the area has diminished the fish stock enormously and left the women without income. With the donation from Dare to Trust, they rented a community room where the women can meet, share experiences and work together. The goal was combating environmental racism and social exclusion—issues already present in their daily lives. This process, in addition to fostering autonomy and collective strength, was also important for the group’s safety in a region marked by territorial conflicts. As a result of the Dare to Trust project, they increased their capacity for organising, resource mobilisation and political advocacy.

One of the women : “This space for us is a cosy, caring, supportive space and a space for us to share our daily lives.”

Watch the full movie (in Portuguese):