FCAM: Funding and Technical Support for Women's Groups in Central America

This year, FCAM (Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres-Central American Women’s Fund) is supporting 109 grantee groups throughout Central America, providing funding and technical support. We are currently in the process of closing the first grant cycle of the year, ensuring that groups have the resources they need to develop their initiatives to promote and defend women’s human rights. This support is possible thanks to our donors—individuals, foundations and businesses—as well as those who share their knowledge, abilities and time to contribute to improving FCAM’s work.

The photo above shows Virginia Cum Chevén from the Indigenous Women’s Network: Cultivating the Future (Red de Mujeres Indígenas Sembrando el Futuro) sharing in a computer exercise with Aracely Elías from the Mamen Young Indigenous Women’s Network (Unión de Jóvenes indígenas Mamen), during a workshop on basic accounting that was hosted by FCAM in early April. Twenty one representatives from new grantee groups in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua participated, learning new tools for accounting and management of their groups’ resources.

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The "Donate for a Life Free from Violence" Campaign Comes to a Close

With activities in Nicaragua and Guatemala

On Friday March 11, the acclaimed Nicaraguan singer and songwriter Katia Cardenal, closed the "Donate for a Life Free from Violence" campaign with a concert in Managua. The campaign, organized by FCAM, raised funds and awareness over the course of 100 days, mobilizing groups of volunteers in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua in support of women's groups that work day in and day out to promote and defend their human rights throughout the region.

While the concert was underway in Managua, the campaign was closed in Guatemala City with a fundraising cocktail event with the artists Axis, Miss Lilith, Jaqueline Nisthal, Patza and Ferxa, accompanied by a musical presentation from the group Na´ik Madera—a group of women that have received support and funding from FCAM.

Women from 34 organizations—the majority of them young women—including women from rural areas, Afro-descendent women and Indigenous women from throughout Central America, organized concerts, raffles, fairs, talk-a-thons, dances and street parties, like the one hosted by Artemisa in Managua, and the informational fair organized in Guatemala City.

Carla Lopez, Executive Director of FCAM, notes that “100% of the funds raised in these diverse activities will go directly to groups of women, who in adverse situations have organized to defend their rights in places as remote as Bocana de Paiwas and El Bluff in Nicaragua, San Miguel Sigüilá in Guatemala, and the Bajo Lempa area in El Salvador." 

Promoting Philanthropy for Women's Human Rights

Activist from the group Artemisa in action fundraising for the campaign (Artemisa/FCAM 2011)

In Nicaragua, in addition to the participation of recognized artists like Elsa Basil, Clara Grun and Gaby Baca and her band, journalists and the media really stood out in this year's campaign, such as Claro TV, who contributed the transmission of the campaign's TV spot on Nicaraguan cable channels.

A radio spot was broadcast for three months at no cost by independent journalists affiliated with AMARC (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters) and the Puntos de Encuentro DKY FM radio network in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Throughout the region, grantee groups played the spot during their activities and visits to radio stations in their communities.

Our first count shows that in-kind and cash donations total over $18,000—and counting!

Other corporate sponsors include El Garabato Café & Antojitos, Fuente Pura and Casa Pellas. The campaign even reached beyond the borders of Central America thanks to the efforts of the feminist organization Calala, who promoted fundraising activities in Spain

We would also like to thank the Ortiz Gurdián Foundation, who donated 50 vouchers for medical services for women in grantee groups in Nicaragua.

The group Young Women Fighters from Bluefields on Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast during a fundraising activity for the "Donate for a Life Free from Violence" campaign (Foto: Jóvenes Luchadoras/FCAM 2011)

Spread the Word

Although the campaign has come to a close, FCAM is constantly working to increase funding for women's rights in Central America. If you are interested in supporting the work of grantee groups, please send an email to the following address marlia@fcmujeres.org. subscribe to our enews bulletin La Fuente or visit our website

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 Working for Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Women's Human Rights

New FCAM grantees

Two lesbian women's organizations and one organization of transwomen are new FCAM grantees, following a call for proposals and a selection process to which 10 Nicaraguan organizations applied.

The Nicaraguan Trans Association (Asociación Nicaragüense de Trans-ANIT), Young People Making Change and the IDSDH Lesbian Group will receive funding and technical support from FCAM through this initiative that includes support from HIVOS and the Fund for Gender Equality and Sexual and Reproductive Rights (FED).

Isaura Osejo from Young People Making Change explains that support from FCAM will be used to develop social mobilization and advocacy activities in favor of lesbian and bisexual women's rights. "For two years we have worked as volunteers and while we have the capacity to continue to do so, we also know we need resources to provide follow up of our activities and to support other women in searching for their identity, as they experience what we've also gone through," shares Isaura, on why her group applied for funding.

FCAM also provides support for 13 other groups of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

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All Together, All Free

In celebration of International Women's Day and to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the "We Are 52%" festival—an initiative to declare the autonomy and independence of women's groups—more than 30 women's organizations in Nicaragua, among them FCAM, launched the "All Together, All Free" campaign on March 8th. This campaign will promote alliances among women and demand the fulfillment of women's human rights.

The main component of the campaign is the "All Together, All Free" song, written and performed by well known Nicaraguan singers, Elsa Basil, Gaby Baca and Clara Grun. The song premiered at a march in the capital city of Managua demanding women's rights to live freely from abuse, authoritarianism, HIV, exploitation, maternal death, discrimination, unemployment, femicide and from the myriad of ways in which women's rights are violated.

The song Todas Juntas Todas Libres ("All Together, All Free") is an upbeat and catchy fusion of distinct rhythms that vindicate women's freedom to choose in all aspects of their lives, to be recognized and heard, and to be taken into account. The campaign includes a series of concerts throughout the country and diverse activities to promote and defend Nicaraguan women's human rights.

Young women from the Lidia Espinoza Movement and adolescents from the María Elena Cuadra Working and Unemployed Women's Movement at the march celebrating International Women's Day, March 8th. Both organizations are supported by FCAM (MCRuiz/FCAM/2011).

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