Heart & Hand has been funding women’s programs in the Balkans for 15 years. Many of our grantees became activists in the peace movement during the four years of a brutal war, and have worked tirelessly since then to improve the lives of women and girls and win equal rights for the LGBT community. Against great odds, they are beginning to see the results of their efforts. Women and the LGBT communities are better organized, more active, and bolder--and their voices are being heard.
Sadly, the working conditions of the activists have not changed. They’ve gotten worse since the collapse of Socialism and the loss of the safety net it provided. Our activists work for low salaries; many have no benefits, no pensions, and no savings. Many are now in their 50s and starting to experience health problems. Almost all suffer from fatigue that affects not only them but also their families.
While they know that their work has made big differences in their communities, they can’t help but ask, especially at low moments, whether their sacrifices have been worth it. Although many around the world are applauding the fact that Balkan countries are seeking recognition from the European Union (EU), the results are far more complex for feminist activists. I have excerpted a few of their responses, which you can read below.
Heart & Hand has given sustainability grants to individual grantees and our grantee, Act Women, in Serbia, offers free monthly workshops for women to learn from professionals how to improve their health and general well being. These are important first steps, but they are temporary measures. What is needed is a new model of sustainability grants that provides benefits and pensions to activists so that they can concentrate on their work without always worrying about their security. We hope more funders will step forward. Funding organizations is essential; funding to ease the lives of activists is essential, too.
