40-YEAR LEGACY
OF CHANGE… FUTURE OF ENDLESS POSSIBILITY
FORTY YEARS AGO, THREE VISIONARY WOMEN GATHERED AROUND A KITCHEN TABLE IN MELBOURNE AND IGNITED A MOVEMENT.
What began as a bold idea—an organisation for women, by women—evolved into IWDA: one of Australia’s leading agencies for gender equality.
From that modest beginning, our mission has remained steadfast: to advance the rights, leadership, and agency of women in all their diversity.
Since 1985, we’ve partnered with over 150 women’s rights organisations across Asia and the Pacific.
Together, we’ve championed reproductive rights, funded frontline leaders, and worked tirelessly to shift power to where it belongs.
THANK YOU FOR MARCHING FORWARD WITH IWDA AND OUR PARTNERS — EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, we reflect on the collective impact we’ve achieved:
Strengthened feminist movements and organisations across 8 countries
Pushed governments to measure what truly matters to women
Championed transformative research, data, and policy change
Resourced new generations of feminist leaders and activists
This milestone is not just a reflection— it’s a recommitment to the future.
In July, we’ll unveil our new Strategic Plan, shaped by invaluable insights from our community, guiding our efforts towards achieving gender equal future for all
Your unwavering support has transformed a ripple into a wave of long-lasting change.
Thank you for marching forward with IWDA and our partners—every step of the way.
THIS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, YOU MARCHED FORWARD — THANK YOU
THIS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, YOU STOOD WITH WOMEN AND GIRLS ACROSS OUR REGION—AND DOUBLED YOUR IMPACT.
Thanks to your generosity, our matched appeal raised an incredible $198,109. These funds are already at work, supporting transformative programs across the region.
Your support means we can reach more women like Amelika. Traditional household surveys said Amelika’s family isn’t poor— there was income, food, and a nearby health clinic. But when we asked Amelika directly, a different story emerged.
She told us about skipping meals, not having menstrual products, and making impossible choices for her children’s future.
Because of your donations, programs like Equality Insights are amplifying women’s voices, shifting how poverty is understood, and ensuring governments fund what women truly need.
See her. Hear her. Invest in her. That’s what you did this IWD.
THANK YOU.
AMELIKA’S STORY — BEYOND THE NUMBERS
Amelika, 35, lives in a small village in Tonga. At first glance, her family seems financially stable—her husband earns income from fishing, their children attend school, and there’s a local healthcare clinic. But these surface details hide a deeper reality.
Amelika’s days are filled with unpaid labor—caring for children, an elderly relative, and her niece who recently left school. She has no financial independence, no control over household money, and lacks access to healthcare, exposing her to serious health risks.
Her education stopped at 14, leaving her with little say in her own future. Traditional poverty measures overlook these critical aspects of women’s lives. They make women like Amelika invisible.
At IWDA, we see and hear women directly through our gender-sensitive measurement tool, Equality Insights.
By asking targeted questions about financial control, healthcare access, and personal safety, we reveal the true experiences of each adult in the home, not just the household.
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE CAN SEE HER CONTRIBUTIONS, HEAR HER CHALLENGES, AND INVEST IN THE CHANGE THAT WOMEN LIKE AMELIKA WANT TO SEE.
Foreign aid isn’t charity it’s a commitment
It’s what allows IWDA and our partners to keep fighting for gender equality, even when global support falters. When governments pull back, it’s local women’s rights organisations — often the last line of defence —that suffer most.
While we celebrated International Women’s Day, devastating news broke: several nations— including the US, UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands—announced deep cuts to their international aid budgets.
These are not just numbers on a page. These are lifelines—cut. Funding for programs that protect women from violence. That educate girls. That support local feminist movements working tirelessly in some of the world’s most under-resourced regions. This is a crisis.
At IWDA, we partner with women’s rights organisations across the Asia Pacific— organisations led by women, for women. These groups provide critical services and challenge deeply rooted inequality in communities where gender-based violence, discrimination, and poverty intersect.
When funding disappears, so do safe houses. So do frontline workers. So do community workshops that challenge harmful gender norms.
One of our partners in the Pacific told us: “When international support is pulled, it’s the women and girls in remote areas who go unheard, unseen, unprotected.”
“Foreign
aid isn’t charity—it’s a commitment to systemic change.” A recognition that progress for women and girls is foundational to peace, equality, and human rights. It’s what allows our partners to do the longterm work of shifting power, changing policies, and transforming lives.
The World Health Organization has warned that current aid reductions may lead to “pandemic-like” rises in maternal deaths.¹
More reports show that gender equality is one of the most powerful predictors of peace—more so than wealth or democracy.²
These are the stakes.
As governments step back, we’re asking our community to step in.
Your support helps keep women-led organisations alive. It protects hardwon progress.
And it fuels the feminist movements that are building a more just and equal future.
Let’s stand stronger—together. Learn more about how your gift inspires change: IWDA.ORG.AU
SOURCES
1. WHO, 2025. Aid cuts threaten fragile progress in ending maternal deaths, UN agencies warn. https://www.who.int/news/item/07-04-2025-aid-cuts-threaten-fragile-progress-in-ending-maternal-deaths-un-agencieswarn#:~:text=These%20cuts%20have%20led%20to,leading%20causes%20of%20maternal%20deaths 2. Hudson, V.M. and Caprioli, M., 2005. The heart of the matter: The security of women and the security of states. International Security, 33(3), pp.7–45. https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/heart-matter-security-women-and-security-states
DEFY THE DECLINE. PROTECT THE PROGRESS.
For four decades, the dial on gender equality has moved. But now, that progress is under threat of being dialled back.
With foreign aid in decline, the work of our partners faces its greatest challenge in a generation. The risk is real: hard-won rights could be lost. Programs could close. Voices could go unheard.
By becoming a regular giver, you provide certainty and strength to our partners. You help sustain momentum for change and ensure the gains of the last 40 years aren’t rolled back.
Your monthly gift means:
Respected women leaders can plan and act boldly despite uncertainty.
Our partners have ongoing, reliable support to keep providing vital services.
Long-term change becomes truly possible.
LET’S HONOUR OUR HERSTORY. LET’S PROTECT WHAT WE’VE BUILT. LET’S FUND THE FUTURE—TOGETHER.
