BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//PYVOBJECT//NONSGML Version 1//EN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Africa/Nairobi BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20000101T000000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=1 TZNAME:EAT TZOFFSETFROM:+0300 TZOFFSETTO:+0300 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260530T060503Z - 70296@ip-172-31-35-35 DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Nairobi:20250603T180000 DTEND;TZID=Africa/Nairobi:20250603T190000 CREATED:20260530T060503Z DESCRIPTION:Diversifying Funds and Mobilizing Communities for Justice and Progress : The Case of FEM Colombia\nAs international donors increasingly withd raw from global cooperation\, grassroots organizations in the Global South are stepping up with bold\, sustainable alternatives. One such organizati on is FEM Colombia\, a community-driven initiative that’s transforming h ow Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities reclaim land\, assert their r ights\, and shape their own futures. On the 3rd of June\, 2025\, Kuja-host ed a webinar where we sat down with Ana Maria Gonzalez\, Co-Founder of FEM \, for a rich conversation on FEM’s model of inclusive development and t heir innovative approach to funding diversification. The webinar was a tes tament to how localized knowledge and community ownership are not just via ble paths forward — they are essential.Centering Land\, Identity\, and R ights FEM’s work is deeply rooted in Colombia’s ethnically diverse and environmentally rich Pacific and Caribbean regions\, where systemic inequ alities persist. These areas experience higher rates of poverty\, limited access to healthcare and education\, and historic land dispossession. In r esponse\, FEM has helped over 20\,000 people secure collective land titles \, enabling communities to protect their territories and preserve cultural identity — a principle they call "Land Forever." But FEM’s vision goe s far beyond legal victories. They engage communities through ethno-educat ion\, ethno-health\, and leadership training\, especially targeting women and youth. Their work fuses legal advocacy with participatory planning\, m aking development both inclusive and deeply rooted in local realities.Turn ing Obstacles into Opportunities FEM’s journey hasn’t been easy. Many traditional funders deemed the organization “too local\,” financially unviable\, or geographically inconvenient (being based in Cartagena rather than the capital\, Bogotá). And the private sector wasn’t a likely all y\, often due to conflicting interests around land [...] DTSTAMP:20260530T060503Z LOCATION:Kuja\, Kenya SUMMARY:Diversifying Funds and Mobilizing Communities for Justice and Progr ess: The Case of FEM Colombia END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR