Tara is a Bay Area, California, native who has spent her life rooted in service and mission-driven work. This brought her to the Peace Corps where she spent 31 months in Uganda as a NGO Program Specialist. During her time in The Pearl of Africa she directed a national youth leadership camp for young women, worked with community leaders and students on reusable menstrual pads, and received a seed grant from The Pollination Project for a project called Kids Who Click, where youth were afforded the opportunity to positively express their emotions through photography. She has seen firsthand the impact that empowering those around the world has in igniting compassionate, positive, social change.
Tara Matthews, Grants Manager
In the heart of Nkwen Bamenda III Sub Division, Northwest region of Cameroon, the pilot project "Youth and Visual Arts Activism for Social Change" unfolded at Teken Quarter Youth Community Hall. This initiative, running from January to April 2023, targeted fifteen disadvantaged youths—including school dropouts, drug addicts, and other vulnerable groups. The project, supported by a The Project Project grant, was launched by the Collective Arts Development Association (CADA), which provided six art facilitators. These experts delivered extensive training in various artistic skills, from sketching and drawing on canvas boards to graphic design and T-shirt printing.
Participants were introduced to the fundamentals of colors, composition, and proportions, along with practical applications in screen printing on diverse materials like jeans, nylon, and polyester. The primary goal of the project was to leverage art and social entrepreneurship as viable alternatives to drug use, abuse, crime, and poverty in the local community. Furthermore, the project included an outreach program involving sixth-grade pupils from the Government Primary School in Teken Quarter.
The success of this pilot paved the way for a flagship initiative titled "Empowering Marginalized Youths through Life Skill Education Art and Entrepreneurship Skill Development." This ongoing program offers six-month intensive training sessions to thirty disadvantaged youths, teaching them not only visual and graphic arts but also audio-visual skills and crafts essential for economic independence and social inclusion. Moreover, the program includes mental health education, counseling, rehabilitation strategies, and connects participants with mental health professionals as needed, continuing to transform lives thanks to the foundational support of the The Pollination Project grant.
#art #socialchange #activism #youthempowerment #mentalhealtheducation #cameroon #heartivism #grants #thepollinationproject
WINNERS!!
Our grantees Manjushree Abhinav and Aanchal Raturi won the Swarnali Roy Vegan Advocacy Awards 2024 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Manjushree received a grant for her project "My planet and my plate", inspiring students to become climate activists themselves, to plant the seed of change into the hearts and minds of students, hoping that these seeds will sprout into far-reaching effects.
Aanchal founded Project Re-Learn, conducting workshops in Uttaranchal colleges to sensitize future agriculturists about ethical practices.
Join us in congratulating these two incredible heartivists! 🧡
@hsi_india
@hsiglobal
@manjushreeabhinav
@earthling_anna_raturi
#animalrights #animalwelfare #vegan #plantbased #veganlifestyle #nocruelty #crueltyfree #heartivism #grants #animaladvocacy #india
🌟 Volunteer Week 🌟 Celebrating our family of Grant Advisors!
Today we celebrate our grant advisors dedicated to #animalprotection .
🔸 April King (Montenegro/United States)
🔸 Elphas Ongongo (Kenya)
🔸 Mohini Sharma (India)
🔸 Evans Okumu (Kenya)
🔸 Fernanda García Naranjo Ortega (Mexico)
🔸 Leandro Franz (Brazil)
🔸 Jeremy Gregory (United States)
🔸 Kate Luke (Australia)
🔸 Andrew Alexander (United States)
@granjitatyh
@kotorkitties
@littleoaksanctuary
#volunteerweek
#animalrights #animalwelfare #heartivism #grants #animaladvocacy #advisors
Resty Nabaggala, a dedicated advocate for gender equality and youth empowerment in Uganda, is working to tackle menstrual poverty and promote education for girls. Growing up in a rural area plagued by poverty, child marriages, and limited educational opportunities, Resty experienced firsthand the challenges that hindered girls` access to education.
After witnessing the stark realities faced by her peers—many of whom were forced into early marriages or dropped out of school due to menstruation-related issues—Resty became deeply committed to addressing the root causes of gender inequality and educational barriers in her community. This passion led her to establish the Here For Her Foundation, with the goal to empower girls and women by providing menstrual education, access to reusable sanitary pads, and advocacy for girls` rights.
Through initiatives like the Pad Her Project - supported by a seed grant from The Pollination Project - Resty and her team are working tirelessly to break the silence surrounding menstruation and dismantle the societal taboos that perpetuate menstrual poverty. By offering educational sessions, distributing reusable pads, and empowering girls with the knowledge and skills to manage their menstrual health, Resty aims to ensure that no girl is deprived of her right to education due to menstruation-related challenges.
#menstrualhygiene #menstrualhealth #periodpoverty #heartivism #womenempowerment #girlsempowerment #uganda
