Stories of Change

Fatilah learns to listen: a story of change from Women Peace Makers of Cambodia

Fatilah, 20, is from Daun Toak commune, Sangkat Trery Koh district in Kampot province. She self-identifies herself as Khmer-Islam who studies at a university in her provincial town. Fatilah Ismael, 20, is a Khmer-Islam living in Kampot Province and shares her personal experience and deep reflection about her fieldwork using Facilitative Listening Design (FLD). Photo by: Lyhour Heang As much as rumors destroy one’s reputation, preconceptions can also play a crucial part in affecting one’s belief about something or someone. It critically shapes the judgement of a person before he or she even gets to know what lies within. As...Read More

Monica’s story of transformation—Mexico

Mónica Santiago Peña is a 27-year-old Mixtec woman from Oaxaca. She is the beneficiary of a variety of services from GESMujer, a Pangea partner since 2015. GESMujer aims to transform society into one that is more equitable and just to women in both indigenous and urban communities. They are one of three current Pangea partners that a group of members will visit in the next week during our site visit to Oaxaca, Mexico. Read Monica's story of of transforming from a life of depression and self-depreciation to one of an empowered woman, mother, daughter and educator. Despite having a fruitful...Read More

How Education for Girls Helps a Community Become Climate Smart

Stories from individuals who benefit from our funding are powerful and this one is no exception. A student from Lenana Girls High School, a boarding school in rural Kenya, speaks of the urgent need for climate change adaptation and the importance of education. The school is the brainchild of our long-time strategic partner, Common Ground, in Kiminini, Kenya. Pangea Giving members have supported Common Ground’s Biointensive Farming Programs and Lenana students over many years. Right now humans are cutting off the branch they are sitting on. April 22, 2019 was Earth Day, a day on which we no longer have resources to...Read More

Mercy’s road to women’s health—Kenya

In Kisiwa, where Ufanisi Women’s Group operates, 1 in 5 teens is a mother or expecting her first baby. By the time Mercy Namukuru was 15 years old, she was married and had a daughter. Mercy’s education was a low priority since girls in Kisiwa are too often pushed to get married before they turn 18 years of age.  Mercy owns a small maize farm and would previously skip working on her farm during menstruation periods due to a lack of access to pads and funds to purchase these expensive disposable items. Mercy at her small maize farm Before Ufanisi's...Read More

BIOGI Helps Farmers Adapt to Climate Change

Bio-Gardening Innovations or BIOGI has been a Pangea Giving partner since 2013. BIOGI works with small farmers to promote the adoption of sustainable agriculture methods including agroforestry, permaculture, and biodiversity conservation. As part of our recent educational event, Climate Change in the Global South, we debuted a video made in partnership with BIOGI to highlight their work and the role they play to help small farmers in Western Kenya secure their livelihoods and adapt to the changing climate. Enjoy!

“Art for Peace” in Cambodia

Last month, we received this message from our colleague, Suyheang Kry, Executive Director of Women Peace Makers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I am writing to share with you our newly produced video entitled “Art for Peace” which showcases workshop and the exhibition of “Hear, Listen. Look, See. Touch, Feel.” that we held in collaboration with our friends at Japan-based Peace Mask Project last year. It was an extraordinary chance for us to bring our local Facilitative Listening Design (FLD) approach together with art to explore synergies and opportunities. Through this work, we have learnt a great deal of how to...Read More

Florinda – A Community Advocate in Guatemala

Until I was invited to participate in Community Advocates Program, I didn’t communicate with anyone, much less have any leadership, considering we women barely have the chance to participate in meetings or any public spaces. It was difficult for me to speak up or express my opinion, as I was afraid others would tell me that I was wrong, but little by little I began to change. And now I’m no longer afraid to express myself. I’ve learned how I can share information with my community so that more women can become leaders and make decisions in the community. This...Read More

Hilda’s Dream – Guatemala

Hilda is 19 years old and is the second of nine children. She is from the Las Ventanas community, which is located about 16 miles by dirt road from the municipal seat and location of the closest secondary school. To travel from her home to the municipal seat, Hilda must hitch a ride in the back of a truck. Even hitching a ride is no simple endeavor - Hilda must walk four and a half miles to a place called Tres Cruces to wait and hope another truck arrived soon. When Hilda completed primary school, her family told her that...Read More

Chhim’s Story – Cambodia

One of the strategies that Women Peace Makers uses to address gender-based violence throughout Cambodia is conducting trainings in gender sensitive mediation. These programs include community gender talks and other creative approaches that inspire open and reflective discussion of women’s rights and preventing gender-based violence. Chhim Sopharavy participated in the gender sensitive mediation trainings. Throughout my daily life, I have seen and let myself believe that domestic violence is normal in couple life. Yet, after my engagement with WPM’s activities on gender sensitive mediation, I began to change my perspective that it is not acceptable anymore, and it must be...Read More

Soeung’s Story – Cambodia

Women Peace Makers engages young people throughout Cambodia with on-site trainings and social media campaigns as part of its Gender and Peace Leadership Program. The program equips these young people with mediation and leadership training to promote peacebuilding and gender equality in their communities. Soeung C. Chhayheng is a 25 year old from Pursat Province who participated in the program. I used to be confused with the term gender as well as the definition of sex. I thought that gender meant elevating a girl’s rights or any type of activity where to allow women to get more opportunities than men....Read More