Issues Affecting Women
Programme
Supporting women and girls to be safe, free, and have the equal opportunity to thrive.
Overview
For more than 20 years, the Issues Affecting Women Programme (IAWP) has funded organisations and movements around the world. All women and girls should be safe, free, and have an equal chance to thrive. Yet, every day, women experience violence and discrimination and are denied the freedom to decide how they will live. This undermines their health, safety, dignity, and independence.
We find inspiration from strong and vibrant organisations and movements, built and led by women. These courageous people transform lives and communities across the world. Supporting them with resources, organisational strengthening, and connections is at the heart of what we do. We support cross-cutting strategies that build women’s movements and resource women’s funds. We also support specific issues that aim to end domestic violence, stop psychological violence, and prevent trafficking and exploitation.
What we fund
We support initiatives that strengthen connections within the movement ecosystem, support empowering leaders, resource strategies that build positive narratives, and enhance outreach, organising, and mobilisation efforts. Additionally, we support efforts that create conditions to prevent crises, build resilience, and sustain peace. This includes support for community health and wellbeing.
We support efforts that: seed, strengthen, and support women’s funds in underserved geographies; collaborate with larger international women’s funds for learning and influence; nurture a diverse and connected ecosystem of women’s funds; strengthen connections and collaborative capacities within the women’s funds ecosystem and broader women’s movements; and increase access to resources for women and girls in conflict, emergency, and crisis situations to meet their immediate needs and protect their rights.
We support efforts that develop services and programmes centred on the voice and dignity of survivors, help survivors achieve safety and justice, and increase young people’s awareness to prevent domestic violence.
We support efforts to improve understanding of abusers’ tactics, support community and legal remedies that prioritise survivors’ needs, help survivors achieve financial stability and access quality support services, and increase awareness of psychological violence to promote prevention.
We support efforts to increase access to services and justice for women who have experienced trafficking and exploitation, promote community organising, leadership development, and civic engagement, ensure greater corporate accountability for safe and dignified working conditions across the supply chain, and support safe and informed migration for those who choose to migrate.
Discover our partner stories
Would you like to read more stories like this? Please visit our “Stories” page.
Watch our latest videos
“Helvetia is calling!” a politically independent movement that advocates for a greater female representation in the Swiss Federal Council, called on women to take action and shape Swiss laws equally. Backed by women from all parties, the result was a significant increase in the number of female candidates in the Swiss confederate elections. And, for the first time in Swiss history, more new women were elected than new men
Violence against women and domestic violence is a problem with grave consequences for the whole society. There are many female activists and organisations in Switzerland who are working to raise awareness about these issues and combat some of the challenges faced by women. These organisations are funded through alliance F, a well-established women’s equality organisation.
Would you like to see more videos? Please visit our YouTube channel.