Action Fund

Rajalakshmi knew the challenges facing her community in Chennai, India. She lived them. About eight years ago, she and her family were kicked out of their homes to make way for a road construction project. Pushed to the outskirts of the city, they were cut off from public services. When she hurt her leg, she wasn’t able to get the care she needed because there were no nearby hospitals. She had to walk more than half a mile just to get to the nearest water tank and carry water back to her house. And she didn’t always feel safe walking at night, with few street lights and dangerous drivers.

She connected with a group of young women supported by ActionAid, and together they took action. They brought their demands to a local official but when they arrived, Rajalakshmi said, “He just invited us to sit down,” a dismissal of their concerns. “We said we had not come to sit down. We want our problem solved.”

The young activists kept pushing, following up again and again.

Because of their advocacy, their community is stronger today. There’s a new hospital in their area, along with water systems, street lights, traffic lights, and speed bumps – public services that make the city safer and more accessible for young women like Rajalakshmi.

Thank you for supporting local change-makers like Rajalakshmi.

“If one person claps with one hand, do you hear a sound? In the same way, if I go alone, no one will hear me, but if we all go, we are heard,” Rajalakshmi explained.

Together, we're making a real difference. Thank you for coming together this holiday season to ensure that young women leaders around the world are heard.

P.S. Check out this video to hear Rajalakshmi tell her story in her own words, and to learn about the young women leaders across India who are rising up with your support!

This ongoing fight for justice and human rights is powered by people –extraordinary leaders who envision positive change in their own communities and are brave enough to blaze the path ahead. That’s why we partner with powerful people living in poverty and exclusion – problem solvers who know what’s needed to change lives within their own communities, and have the power to mobilize and inspire others.

Joyce Daniel, a local community member and mother, became a climate change resilience and women’s inclusion leader. After Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu in 2015, she became a member of Women I Tok Tok Tugeta, a forum for women-led climate change action. Then, she was elected its President. The forum, supported by ActionAid, enables women to identify their own protection needs in the aftermath of a disaster, and lead action plans to address the issues they face.

The Island Nation is recognized as being the most disaster-prone in the world, and it’s women who are the worst affected – and often excluded from emergency response and solution roles. Local leaders like Joyce know what women in their communities need better than anyone, as Joyce mentioned, “women know the needs for all the ladies.”

Joyce, and other local leaders across the globe, are powerful change-creators in their communities. Joyce sees women’s leadership as a way to challenge patriarchal attitudes towards women’s roles in emergency response, and beyond. She hopes “to see the movement grow stronger and members have confidence in themselves.”

At ActionAid, we believe in the power of local leaders like Joyce. With your support, we can ensure that the women of Tanna, Vanuatu are supported to lead the implementation of disaster preparedness plans they have developed, and that women’s leadership is supported globally.

If you haven't already, please share this project with your friends and family. Your support enables local activists and empowerment leaders, like Joyce, to continue and expand their work.

Thank you.