Seven local and regional organizations received grants to cover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their regions, and majority of these organizations are led by women.
Coletivo Cirandeiras produced podcast episodes on the stories of women leaders in underrepresented and marginalized communities in Brazil. Leading the fact-checking work in Cuba is the alliance of two independent media outlets (Periodismo de Barrio and elTOQUE) creating a tipline on WA and Telegram that increased regional awareness related to the pandemic and desinformation.
Another fact checking initiative, Eté Checagem, produced pieces focused on the favelas communities, indeginous population and LGBTQIA population in Brazil. Ruda Coletiva a group of Latin America women photographers, built their website to showcase their National Geographic supported visual investigation of the impact that the pandemic has had in the food chain throughout the region.
In Ecuador, Isabel Gonzales and Chicas Poderosas created the "Así Hacemos Periodismo" ("This is how we do journalism") podcast interviewing journalists in the community who suffered the consequences of COVID-19 in their work. And in El Salvador we supported the work of photographer Giuzeppe Dezza on documenting the impacts of the pandemic in the country.
On November 24, we invited our COVID-19 grantees to a conversation facilitated by Lu Ortiz, from Victa Activa, an initiative which provides online support for women and LGBTIQ+ journalists, activists and gender, land and labor rights, and freedom of expression defenders. The event will be a closed virtual space for grantees to share their projects and challenges faced during the pandemic and its effects on their wellbeing. The idea is to strengthen the community by listening and sharing healing practices that are ancestral and decolonial.\
If you would like to know more about our Latam event, please contact Isabella Barroso at isabella@meedan.com
