You've heard the phrase "this is what democracy looks like" a lot lately: It's a cry of protest, solidarity, and civic power, and it's been used to great effect on the ground in states such as Michigan and Ohio, where Issue 1 on the ballot seeks to codify reproductive rights, such as the right to abortion, up to the point of fetal viability, in their constitutions, writes Amanda Marcotte at Salon.
But while it's a rallying cry, "reproductive and gender rights organizations continue to be treated as 'issue groups' rather than power-building organizations and force-pliers for democratic engagement," writes Marcotte.
"To turn back the tide of authoritarianism, philanthropic investments have supported systems, rather than values relevant to the masses."
In other words, they've struggled to make a case for funding, she writes.
"Cooperation reminds me of an elusive concept: 'There's nothing heroic about defending other people's interests just because they happen to be personal gain,'" writes Marcotte.
"Reproductive rights funders who demonstrate the existence of oppression demonstrate the existence of oppression, and the result looks very much like a collective will or a common cause."
Read her full column here.
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Ashoka, a global platform for social innovation, introduced the Arab World Social Entrepreneurship Programme (ASEP) to support local social entrepreneurs in scaling up their operations in three key areas – healthcare, environment and women participation for inclusive growth.