Pangea welcomes Green Community Volunteers (GCV) as one of our new partners in Southeast Asia. This organization was founded in 2009, and operates in the Xiangkhouang Province, northeast of Laos. GCV is the only local group in Laos that has been founded and run by indigenous women, and it seeks to empower communities on environmental issues such as biodiversity preservation through art and cultural exchanges. Earth Rights International first introduced Pangea to the work of GCV. Pangea Giving will support the Community Food Forest Project in the Ngoi district, Luang Prabang province. This project aims to help preserve biodiversity while increasing food...[ Read More ]

Foto Source: Oxfam America We are excited to begin our work with the Cambodian Indigenous Women Association (CIWA), one of our newest partners in the Southeast Asia region. This organization was recommended to Pangea by Women Peace Makers, one of our longtime partners. CIWA was founded in 2019 at the initiative of 37 indigenous women and 7 men, as an organization committed to gender equity and the protection of fundamental rights of indigenous women. Their goal is building the capacity of indigenous women to lead and take ownership of development processes in Cambodian indigenous communities and society at large. Pangea...[ Read More ]

Dear Partners and Advisors, Ofelia Aguilar Hernández –MUSOR, Mexico Wendo Aszed –Dandelion Africa, Kenya Ms. Suyheang Kry –Women Peace Makers, Cambodia Miriam Soledad López Bautista­ –UNOSJO, Mexico Ruth Naliaka –Ufanisi Women Group, Kenya Caroline Odera –Women in Sustainable Enterprises, Kenya Elvia Raquec –Women’s Justice Initiative, Guatemala Hilda Vázquez –Asociación Comunidad la Esperanza, Guatemala And Women leaders in Myanmar In celebration of International Women’s Day, March 8th, Pangea’s Board of Directors is proud to honor you as outstanding women leaders. We are inspired by your commitment to address critical women’s issues. Your work provides access to quality education, sexual and reproductive rights, a life free...[ Read More ]

“My disability doesn’t define my future.”Ms. Sum Sakon, WWLC Participant Through Weaving Women’s Leadership for Change (WWLC), a Women Peace Makers’ program, Ms. Sum Sakon joined other women in a safe space to learn, inspire, celebrate, support, and share about themselves, and their leadership challenges. She joined the program in 2020 and became part of the second cohort.  Ms. Sum Sakon came from a humble background. Growing up in a large family in Prey Veng province, she was struck by polio as a child which impacted her ability to walk properly. Despite her disability, she was motivated to complete her high...[ Read More ]

Foto source: Dandelion Africa We are pleased to welcome Ewang’an Olosho Le Suswa, as one of our new partners in East Africa. Founded in 2019, Ewang’an is located in the Maasai village of Suswa in Kenya. Formed by a cluster of self-help groups in the community, their goals are to advocate for community rights, alleviate poverty, and strengthen self-reliance. We first learned of Ewang’an through Wendo Azhed of Dandelion Africa (one of our pod advisors), who has served as a mentor for their work with boys. Pangea’s funding will support the Boy Child Mentorship project. Ewang’an leaders recognize the importance of...[ Read More ]

We warmly welcome SEF as one of our newest partners in East Africa. SEF is a registered youth-led organization based in Kampala, Uganda that primarily serves refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and South Sudan. The co-founders, Jules Meyele and Jeremiah Lukeka, are themselves refugees. Through our discussions with Jules and Jeremiah (via Zoom), we learned of the great challenges these refugees experience when they arrive in Uganda. After traumatic experiences in their home country, adjusting to a completely new and different culture can be very difficult. These refugees must deal with language barriers, unemployment, difficult access to...[ Read More ]

We finalize the series of articles introducing our Pod Advisors with the profile of Joshua Machinga from Common Ground for Africa, Kenya. Joshua Machinga earned his degree in agronomy at Manor House Agricultural College in Kitale. After a stint at the World Bank, he founded Common Ground for Africa with the intention of teaching women in his region of Western Kenya organic farming, This led to an internship at Ecology Action in California where he learned the principles and practice of BioIntensive farming from the renowned John Jeavons.  Returning to Kenya, community leaders persuaded Joshua to start a K-8 Primary...[ Read More ]

Our partner Taa’Pi’t works with indigenous families in the Lake Atitlán region of Guatemala to reintroduce traditional foods, cooking techniques, and agricultural practices based on Ru Kuuyx qa Way qa Kuyaa, the Mayan expression for directing recognition, acceptance and gratitude to the vital energy that arrives in each home in the form of seeds, vegetables, fruits, and liquids. Here are the stories of Julia and Manuel, beneficiaries of Taa’ Pi’t projects. My name is Manuel Criado. Nowadays, I consider there are many problems because we feed ourselves inadequately. The children only want to eat sweet things and cereals in the...[ Read More ]

Last month, we introduced Elvia Raquec from WJI, Guatemala, as part of our Pod Advisors Program. Today is Wendo Aszed’s turn, a remarkable leader from Dandelion Africa, Kenya. We are thrilled to welcome Wendo into this new role at Pangea Giving, and hope to learn more from her experience as a leader working on the frontlines of local development.  Wendo Aszed is the founder and Executive Director of Dandelion Africa, a grassroots organization based in Kenya, whose work focuses on women’s health care and economic empowerment. Wendo has led successful initiatives that provide safe information and direct services to women...[ Read More ]

The Southeast Asia Pod is monitoring the situation in Myanmar. We have been in contact directly with one of our Partners and with some US-based NGOs (Partners Asia, Shanta Foundation, and EarthRights International) that have connections to our Partners.  Our two grantees in Myanmar are having different experiences as they try to carry out their work under the military junta.  The situation with our Partners We recently held a Zoom meeting with one partner, who is doing village development work. They maintain a low profile in the communities they serve and believe that their development work is non-political and not...[ Read More ]