The project, «STEPS-4-5» in the framework of the Leading from the South programme, begins in August 2021 and will be implemented over the coming three years.
STEPS-4-5, focusses on lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (LBTQ) people, as well as those identifying as non-binary. This project is in keeping with the scope of ECADE, which boasts the Caribbean Women and Sexual Diversity Conference as one of its first and ongoing programmes. An incubator for LBTQ leaders, the CWSDC is currently in it’s ninth year.
Over the next three years, STEPS 4-5 will target interventions for communities in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Jamaica and Suriname. These include initiatives to improve access to medical services and health outcomes for trans and non-binary people, research to inform advocacy to meet community needs and capacity building and empowerment for LBTQ+ people.
«This project approaches from several angles, the question of improving inclusion and quality of life for LBTQ+ women and non-binary people», notes ECADE’s Director of Communications Maria Fontenelle. «STEPS 4-5 includes the internal component that strengthens the community from the inside and a components targeting the discrimination and lack of information that impacts the fulfilment of the promise of the human rights for all people».
The Leading from the South programme is supported by Fundación Fondo de Mujeres del Sur.
