Each year Global Greengrants Fund makes over 800 grants to environmental activists around the world, helping to support grassroots initiatives to protect the planet and the rights of the people who call these natural places home. We wish we could share every single story with you. Here are three exciting projects we’ve supported this month.
Bangladesh: Clean Energy and Economic Development
The Bangladesh government recently identified access to electricity as a major constraint to economic development in the country. To increase access to electricity and affordability, the government requested that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank provide financial support for a project that will expand electricity coverage and convert overhead distribution lines into underground cables in northern Dhaka. The Society for People’s Education, Empowerment and Development Trust will use $4,935 to determine if stakeholders considered clean energy as an alternative option for the energy expansion project and verify that an Environmental Impact Study is completed before the project begins.
Uganda: Legal Action Against Mining
Indigenous locals in the Mubende district of Uganda have recently suffered human rights abuses at the hands of mining companies aiming to use their lands for mining purposes. The communities have documented evidence of physical attacks with machetes, destruction of property and forceful evictions. Using $3000, the Unwanted Witness group will help provide legal services to the victims, as well as legal representation in court to help the locals attain justice.
Argentina: Protecting the Last Glacial River
Two hydroelectric dam construction projects are proposed to be built on Patagonia’s last glacial river, the Santa Cruz, in Argentina. These dams will destroy the river and surrounding ecosystems, which have been declared both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and wintering habitat for the critically endangered hooded grebe bird. Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales will use $5,000 to raise local awareness on the negative impacts of hydroelectric dam construction, and garner support for more sustainable energy alternatives.
We believe that solutions for lasting change come from people who face challenges to their environments and rights every day. So we support community-based projects that make our world safer, healthier, and more just. To read more about grants we’ve awarded and the groups and individuals who have received them, click here.
Photo: Sudipta Arka Das / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0