TAKING TAKINGNOTROOTFLIGHT
UHAI EASHRI echoed back to our communities the message of flourishing amidst the chaos, just like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. We did it through our organizational ways of working; through our actions of grantmaking; our actions of movement building; and our actions of thought leadership and knowledge sharing. In this heartfelt note we will take you through the actions we took as philanthropic activists, as an indigenous funder whose work is centred and driven by her communities, as a funder rooted in her context in the Global South, in Africa, in Sub Saharan Africa nonetheless, and in the seven countries of Eastern Africa namely Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
2021, the second year of the global COVID19 Pandemic. As the world finds its center and finds a new way of functioning and a new paradigm of living, our communities of Eastern African lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people and those who do sex work for livelihood found themselves at a point of inflection. At this point our communities were faced with hate that drives States and policymakers to create laws and guidelines that set the stage for criminalisation, societal stigma and discrimination, exclusion from access to basic rights such as healthcare and education. As a community we were not only faced with similar questions as the rest of the world but were also faced with questions compounded by the fact that even before the pandemic our lives never had normalcy. We had an existential crisis about our lives and questions about our work as activists, institutions and movements; questions about our future as individuals and the future of generations of young queer folk. As a community at this inflection point, it was time for taking root, not for taking flight.
Audre Lorde once said “I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.”
LETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CO EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
All we need are the resources to make change happen in the way that it will happen. All we need is the world as we know it shifts and understands who we are and can see us and can hear us for who we are and leave patriarchy, and leave politicking and leave the power dynamics of money well behind because there is beautiful work to be done.
Lorna Dias
In this financial year 2021, UHAI’s grants budget projection was USD4,682,974 for grants awarded through the Secretariat Grants Committee (SGC) and the Peer Grants Committee (PGC). This, juxtaposed against the overwhelming needs of our communities, was hardly enough but it went a long way in getting beautiful work done.
The Grants
SGC (The Strategic
Committee) Grants
The cost of living in Eastern African countries was through the roof coupled with inflation in the second and third quarters. Our community members who eked a living from the entertainment and service sectors faced untold suffering, their dependents suffered too and mental health issues from the effects of the pandemic were rife. In addition ensuing apathy of the public as a coping mechanism there was an increase in violence and UHAI’s communities bore the brunt. The political class and clergy milked the situation for what it was worth - to gain supporters for their ideologies and followers for their sermons. Our communities were blamed for the Pandemic and many have lost their lives because of the hatred of our leaders, which is characterised by whorephobia, transphobia, homophobia and biphobia. Mainstream civil society was decrying vaccine apartheid, our communities and movements meanwhile, were grappling with access to basic medical care for majority of LGBTIQ+ persons and Sex Workers including HIV treatment and psychosocial support. Community-led healthcare centres played a crucial role in contributing to positive health outcomes for our communities and their resourcing needs were even greater. UHAI’s SGC responded to these arising and continuous needs, staying true to our values of Listening as a Political Act. These patterns and the voices of our communities pushed to the fringes of society were at the forefront of our continuous and flexible response throughout the year.
The SGC awarded a USD2,154,218.72
through the three grants categories as follows: GrantsStrategic GrantsOpportunity GrantsCapacity 998 264, 44 790 415, 04 365 538,72
total of 148 grants worth
The Grants Committee) Grants In Q4 2021, the 16th round of the PGC was held from 6th October to 11th October. The call for proposals received a total of 338 proposals of which 196 were Msingis, 118 Tujenges , 22 Imarishas and 2 applicants did not indicate the tier they were applying for. After the five day review meeting, and following rationalisation, the 16th PGC awarded USD3,021,607 to 117 organisations across our LGBTIQ+ and Sex Worker movements in Eastern Africa.
The PGC awards were given against the backdrop of contextual challenges our communities were facing in each of our countries of work.
PGC (Peer
Our Peer Grants Committee awarded two grants and a total of USD 40,000 to our communities in Ethiopia.
Burundi
There was no remarkable change in the country’s human rights status quo since the change in regime a little over a year ago. The LGBTIQ community remained vigilant as to how the political landscape will unfold and the implications of this on their lived realities. Refugees who fled the country in past years were repatriated mostly from neighbouring Tanzania and there were reports of human rights violations during the process. The PGC awarded 6 grants a total of USD252,500 to our communities in Burundi.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) The DRC is one of 10 African countries that do not explicitly criminalise LGBTIQ+ people. The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in May 2021 exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the country that had already been aggravated by the COVID19 Pandemic. Displacement lack of access to basic needs such as food, shelter, medical care and clothing became worse. Civil protests against the presence of the UN Mission in Congo as well as electoral related protests coupled with two raids by rebels in Ituri and Bukavu were part of the overall situation faced in the DRC by our communities. UHAI’s PGC awarded 5 grants and a total of USD75,000 to our communities in the Democratic Rep. of Congo (DRC) Ethiopia Ethiopia is one of the countries which has an indigenous anti gay movement “Zim Anlem” whose founder is associated with the Orthodox Tewahedo church. Influenced by the church, public attitudes show at least 97% of the population have a negative attitude towards LGBTIQ+ people. The war in the Tigray region, stories of crimes against humanity, unrest in Addis Ababa was the cocktail that our communities faced in Ethiopia in 2021. The government resorted to gagging human rights defenders speaking out against the violence and instituted surveillance on our communities. This prevailing situation created an additional hurdle in moving our support into the country to our communities who were already facing criminalisation of their person as LGBTIQ people and sex workers as well as criminalisation of sex work as a source of livelihood.
The KFCB director’s statements were just a reflection of an intolerant society that continually excluded LGBTIQ+ people and sex workers from basics of human needs such as healthcare, education, housing and employment opportunities. In October 2021 the Coastal Interfaith Council of Clerics urged Lamu people not to hire queer people for wedding services and also led a protest which shutdown an HIV clinic accessed by queer folx. Kenya faces an active and organised presence of the global anti rights and anti gender movement who are able to influence policy even at the EAC East African community level.
Kenya
LGBTIQ+ communities were caught in between choosing scrutiny in Kenya’s cities on one hand versus possible violence from conservative communities in rural locations.
UHAI’s PGC awarded 52 grants for a total of USD 1,279,852 to our communities in Kenya. Rwanda Rwanda is one of the 10 countries in Africa where LGBTIQ people are not criminalised by the law. However, space for civil society progressively shrunk with increasing government scrutiny masked in due diligence procedures that made it very difficult for activists to convene physically. Priority shifted to controlling the spread of COVID19 in the country and intimidation of Human Rights Defenders, and the media has led to a blackout of human rights issues. Interestingly, in October 2021 the German vaccine manufacturer BioNTech announced plans to install a vaccine manufacturing unit in Rwanda. With such economical and political game changing moves, Rwanda’s disregard for social justice may just continue to be swept under the rug. The PGC awarded our communities in Rwanda 8 grants total USD122,356
In March 2021 the government of Kenya issued a 14 day ultimatum to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to develop a plan for closure of Kakuma and Dadaab camps. LGBTIQ+ refugees in the camps are still in limbo and this directive has not been rescinded. In September a government body the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) banned a documentary film “I am Samuel” with reasons given by the board’s director as the film being “a deliberate attempt to promote same sex marriage as an acceptable way of life” and that the film was “blasphemous”.
Uganda 2021 an election year saw the incumbent President launch an attack against the LGBTIQ+ community saying “Homosexuals are disgusting”, the President went on to use homophobia to fuel hate and accuse his opponent as being queer and claiming he was a puppet of the West. Uganda legislators continued with this onslaught post election using an otherwise possibly progressive Sexual Offences Bill as an opportunity to further criminalise LGBTIQ+ people prescribing 11 years in jail in a law that was more explicit than the current Penal code. Amidst all this the Ugandan Community’s resilience paid off in several wins. The President did not sign the Sexual Offences Bill into law; the community successfully litigated against the arrest of 44 queer people under the guise of COVID violations; In August the Constitutional Court declared sections 2 and 13 of the Anti-Pornography act as unconstitutional marking a landmark win for Ugandan Sex Workers; and finally a personal win for Cleopatra Kambugu UHAI’s Director of Programs made her the first transgender person to have her gender recognised on her Ugandan national ID card. Cleo hopes that her civilian win will result in inspiration for civic change.
Our PGC awarded 27 grants a total of USD 869,899 to our Ugandan communities
Any hopes for a government that respects the human rights of its citizens were dashed when on 25th November 2021 President Suluhu’s government decreed that lesbianism, homosexuality and sex work were contrary to Tanzanian traditions and customs.
Tanzania
The region held its breath when President Suluhu took over running the country when the late President Dr. Magufuli died.
LGBTIQ and Sex Worker communities are living in constant fear and uncertainty as they know not what the government will do to ensure that their freedom to be and exist in dignity are curtailed even further. Additionally, convening in urban areas by our communities was highly scrutinised and this led to progressive organising in rural regions in an attempt to circumvent this surveillance. Tanzania has continuously repatriated Burundian refugees and this is against a backdrop of gross human rights violations including torture and forced disappearances of Burudian refugees from refugee camps. The PGC awarded 16 grants a total of USD374,500 to our Tanzania communities.
It went further to declare strong actions against anybody who defends, takes pleasure from or abets the spread of these acts.
for Trans diverse
Affirmative Action for our communities
our
UHAI
Intersexpersons LBQ LGBTQ+ Sex(Cisgender)Workers Transgender &NonpersonsBinary RefugeesLGBTIQ+ GBMSM Trans diverse sex workers TOTAL: 117
The PGC also paid attention to the diversity of communities served by and awarded grants as follows. Based on learning from 2020 PGC there was a need for affirmative action and groups. also received specific support from partners proactive, diversified and equitable grant-making.
towards
UHAI
LBQ
Multi
Year Grants and Pan African work PGC members felt that the Multi-Year grants (MYG) were a great opportunity for consortias, networks and organisations doing national-level work as it would enable the movements to grow and be sustainable as a form of resilience. The new Multi year grants attracted 10 organizations , 4 from Kenya , 3 Uganda , 1 Tanzania, 2 from Burundi with a ceiling of USD 60,000. The PGC also awarded USD7,500 to organisations doing Pan African work across all countries. Intersectional Grantmaking After a baseline study UHAI EASHRI decided to pilot a program for People who Use Drugs (PWUDs) in three of the countries we work in namely Burundi, Kenya and Uganda. The PGC awarded 5 Msingi and 18 Tujenge grants amounting to a total of 2Burundi:Tujenge,2Msingi=4 Kenya : 9 Tujenge, 1 Msingi = 10 Uganda: 7 Tujenge, 2 Msingi = 9 Total Organisations 23
as follows:
Number percommunity were
of Round 1 PWUDs PGC grants
POETRY AS OUR TANGIBLE ACTION: HOW WE SUPPORTED TAKING ROOT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES “... poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action…. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be Thethought.farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives -Audre“ Lorde
RESEARCH ON THE COVID PANDEMIC
Realising that our communities could only take root and have resilience if they had clarity on the macro happenings around them. UHAI did this in two ways, firstly by commissioning research and secondly by creating peer learning exchanges between our community organisations.
As part of taking root we recognised the agency of our communities as their own change agents. Recognising the power of the shared and unique experiences of our communities we were intentional in creating spaces for peer led and peer centered work over and above our Peer Grantmaking mechanism.
PEER CENTERED CAPACITY STRENGTHENING COHORT
KNOWLEDGE BUILDING, PEER LEARNING AND EXCHANGE
Working with mainstream civil society organizations and the private sector we addressed capacity gaps in leadership and institutional development, financial accountability, designing and managing successful programs, structures for learning and evaluation for our community organizations.
UHAI extended USD46,000 to this novel initiative and worked with INEND and MOLI. 4 LBQ organisations were enrolled in the 1st year program while 10 partners took part in the capacity assessment and curriculum design for institutional building work by MOLI.
All the challenges as well as the opportunities that were encountered by our communities were juxtaposed against COVID 19. UHAI therefore commissioned research which was published in a report titled “AFYA! Another Report on Lives That Never Had Normalcy”. This report was a key influence in the direction of our communities’ stance to take root and not to take flight and included recommendations for the establishment of an emergency fund in the face of future pandemics; included an assessment of our communities’ relationship with digital technologies, working online, and innovations using social networks, the costs and access to technology.
One of the recommendations of the AFYA COVID 19 report was also peer learning and exchange. This conclusion was also backed by capacity support review processes with grantees. UHAI resolved to support two peer learning and exchange processes for nascent organisations to acquire skills and knowledge in different areas.ed with an LGBTIQ led organisation, to frastructureenablesuch competences in planning. On the other hand the LGBTIQ organisationwork A Trans led organization working in Burundi, partnered with a Trans anzania to come up with a peer learning
MOVEMENT CAPACITY ASSESSMENT AND REFLECTION FOR UGANDA (MCAR UGANDA):
PEER LEARNING AND EXCHANGE
We worked with research consultants to achieve 2 objectives namely: (i) Review the strengths, challenges and priorities of the LGBTIQ and Sex Worker movements, and strategies useful in navigating the constantly changing landscape; (ii) Draw critical lessons essential in sustaining long term commitment to movement building in Uganda.
THE PERSONAL AS POLITICAL THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: HOW WE USED OUR LIVED EXPERIENCES FOR PHILANTHROPIC ADVOCACY AND IN OUR PARTNERSHIPS
-Angela Davis
“Everyone is familiar with the slogan "The personal is political" -- not only that what we experience on a personal level has profound political implications, but that our interior lives, our emotional lives are very much informed by ideology. We oftentimes do the work of the State in and through our interior lives.”
UHAI shared her lived reality as an indigenous Eastern African funding organisation as well as the lived realities of her communities in the spaces she occupies. In line with our values of solidarity and working cross movements as well as seeking support and solidarity from other movements we participated in the following spaces.
Discussions aimed to bring focus to the current landscape of LGBTIQ+ activism in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic as an opportune moment for all vulnerable and marginalized groups to define their future. UHAI’s contribution to the engaging conversations underpinned supporting our communities to rebuild the new normal.
CONVENINGS
ICASA ( 21st Edition of the International Conference on Aids and STI in Africa , December 2021, Durban South Africa: UHAI participated and facilitated her communities’ participation in ICASA 2021. Notably we were part of pre conferences that included one with Accountability International on “How Funding Partners can innovate to be more accountable in their Human Rights response”; the GBMSM pre conference which kickstarted a conversation on the independence and sustainability of HIV programming for GBMSM men in Africa. UHAI was one of the proponents of the Durban Declaration in which key populations in Africa demanded action not empty promises from key funders of HIV programs on the continent.
GiveOut 2021 We have had three events with GiveOut this year namely:1)Crisis and Community event on December 2, 2021, 2)A fundraiser on September 13th and 3)Pride With Purpose on 2nd June 2021. UHAI’s ongoing relationship with GiveOut has specifically helped us grow our individual giving donors.
GPP Shimmering Solidarity Global Rights Summit: UHAI contributed to the curation of knowledge shared at this summit. We participated in panels with Health Gap and Dignity Consortium that spoke to the application of activism in philanthropy and feminist led funding as a response to security respectively. We supported activists from Uganda and Burundi to participate as speakers in the panel with Health Gap.
Pan Africa ILGA 5th Regional Conference themed “Reclaiming Our Past – Defining Our Future”
UHAI participated in a panel titled “Shifting the Power: Reimagining Philanthropy in Pursuit of Global Health Equity”. The discussion explored the role of philanthropy in supporting the movement to shift the power in global health. Pervasive power imbalances exist in the field and there’s a need to center more diverse voices particularly of women, marginalized populations, and frontline community members and organizations Invisible No More , A festival of Reproductive Health,Rights and Justice for all:
UHAI participated in a FCAA panel co-developed by GPP titled “Let’s get real - increasing funding to community-rooted and led funders”. We spoke to UHAI’s participatory grant-making approach as we made the case for greater investment in HIV-related intermediaries, particularly those that are community-rooted and led
Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA):
2021 Women Leaders in GlobalHealth Conference
UHAI participated in a virtual press briefing along with global health experts and activists — all current or senior fellows of the Aspen Institute New Voices Fellowship — and called for a radical transformation of the way donor nations and philanthropies fund sexual and reproductive health justice and activism.
:
TheAfricanTransNetwork
As part of her values of radical thought and moving towards the unknown and the new as well as challenging conventions to create new ways of organising, working and living. UHAI engaged in the following
Feminist Alchemy: Building a World Beyond Crisis
This is a collective of 14 feminist funds from around the world, with the support of the international network of women’s funds, Prospera. This collective of feminist funds embedded in feminist movements, centers those most impacted by crises not only to respond to and repair their communities, but to reimagine and recreate a new world Women Leaders in Global Health (WLGH) conference: COVID-19 took a disproportionate toll on women, especially women of color. The conference explored the theme of “Reimagining Leadership, ” looking at how leadership can be transformed to promote women’s representation at all levels of the global health field and achieve better health outcomes for all.
This process has ensured that there is peer learning among the collective of participatory grant makers both emerging and experienced. Intersectionality is a key aspect of this programme through which UHAI has been enabled to reach groups of PWUDs within her communities.
We continued to support the development of the first Pan African Trans Network on the continent in the face of the rise of the global anti gender and anti rights movement.
THOUGHT
LEADERSHIP
AWID's Exploration of Shared Leadership Models & Practicesin Feminist Organisations: UHAI participated along with other feminist organisations to further explore CO leadership as an approach to leadership. The project is further being crafted to open up spaces for conversations using three key modalities: Joint interviews with the co-leads, Workshop style events on themes and Panel discussions.
TheLoveAlliance Through the Love Alliance Consortium we contributed to the understanding of the dynamics of a participatory grant-making model which includes the role of communities in decision making about funding as in the case of the Consortium.
UHAI undertook philanthropic advocacy towards human rights funders, particularly bilaterals that have expansive reach and deep connections, to invest more in adjusting their grantmaking portfolios to provide funds with conditions that contribute to the powering up and sustainability of our activist movements.
Our Voices Our Futures (OVOF) Consortium.
In line with our core values of collaboration which involves working with like minded actors – individuals, organisations and progressive social movements
Conversations centred on the importance of how Black people practice their unique brand of philanthropy, and affirm that it is part of the fabric of Black culture
Sex Worker Donor Collaborative (SWDC) Which focused on better outcomes for sex worker communities in our regions. SWDC provides a platform where sex workers and donors can share information and learning and where sex workers can engage donors as allies in their political advocacy efforts.
PHILANTHROPIC ADVOCACY
Global Philanthropy Project (GPP) Which helped UHAI participate in important international and also governmental discussions and access opportunities for her communities.
WO=MEN organised interviews with women human rights defenders (WHRDs) during the 16 days of activism and UHAI ensured her communities were represented.
Giving Black Conference 2021 The conference celebrated Black philanthropic culture.
OUR EXISTENCE AS OUR TRUTH TAKING ROOT NOT TAKING FLIGHT
“The roses of resistance are born in the asphalt. We receive roses, but we will be with our fists clenched, speaking of our existence against the push and pull that affects our lives.”
- Marielle Franco
We do not have all the answers to the questions that brought us to this inflection point, to taking this stand of “Taking Root not Taking Flight '' but we invite you to come find the answers together with us. We will convene CFCS 2023, the VIII Changing Faces Changing Spaces conference, in May 2023 for all of us to come and reflect together and choose a path of action together. As UHAI we were conceived at CFCS 2007, 15 years later we feel we have an opportunity to conceive and birth newness into our lives in our communities and movements. As always our messages are full of celebration for all we have accomplished together - as much as we could tell you in these few pages we penned, but our message is also an exhortation as our very own ‘Black, lesbian and feminist Saint’ Marielle Franco says “...with our fists clenched speaking of our existence…'' Now more than ever we exhort you to outrage and love in the face of the organised opposition to our existence. The only way for us to take root and not to take flight is to honour our existence as our truth
2022 is here with us now, thank you for reading through all our stories - both yours and ours - as told by us. As Lorna Dias says “there is beautiful work to be done” and as UHAI we are committed to resourcing our communities to do this beautiful work. As our feminist guide Audre Lorde says we encourage you our communities to keep your dreams, hopes and thoughts alive. Dream by dream, hope by hope and thought by thought we will illuminate all of these and turn them into beautiful work.
“Your personal is political '' as Dr. Angela Davis emphasizes, may our sociological imagination guide us to see the connection between every injustice and every broken system and how they affect our lives, how they affect our personal. In turn let this realisation challenge us to not only wish for change in our personal lives and circumstances but also for change in the macro and to work for a systemic change. A change that will ensure that the new generation of young LGBTIQ folx live humane lives. Better yet as our very own Cleopatra Kambugu puts it <<Let not the arduous work we have done with our bodies and the lives that have been lost be put to waste… >>
Mukami Marete Co Executive Director Shamim Omar SalimCo Chairperson of the Board Always In Revolutionary Love
