February 2000 saw the creation in Nepal of a unique new network, the International Network of Independent Women’s Funds. Launched early last year, the Angela Borba Fund is a member, one of a growing number of women’s funds across the world.

The Angela Borba Fund is currently a project of CEMINA – the Centre of Women Projects. Its starting point is the need to provide money to women so as to give them the possibility of contributing to important social change and affecting their own future.
Particular areas of interest include women’s development, women’s rights, non-traditional education, sexuality, anti-racism and gender research. In Brazil, women have great difficulty in getting funding for their projects, so the creation of a special women’s fund is crucial.

Right now the Angela Borba Fund is in the phase of raising money and structuring the boards. There will be two boards, an honorary one and another deliberative one. The first public activity of the Fund took place this August – a seminar on ‘Women, Social Responsibility and Financial Resources’, the main aim of which was to communicate, both to national foundations and to society at large, the importance of supporting women’s projects.

So far funding has come from abroad, from Mama Cash and the Global Fund for Women, but the intention for the future is to try to raise funds from within Brazil as well.

For more information, contact Amalia Pfaeffle by email at mexico@br.homeshopping.com.br