In a world where the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ people are under increasing pressure, from new anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to violent repression, we at the Give a Damn Foundation remain unwavering in our commitment to those who stand up for equal rights. In 2025, we will support eight organisations on three different continents with donations. As always, choosing from all the submissions was not easy. However, together with our 60 members — a group that grows every year — we made a selection in good conscience.
LGBTQ+ rights are under severe pressure in much of Africa. Only a handful of countries offer legal protection, while the situation in the rest of the continent ranges from precarious to downright dangerous. This is why we supported five organisations in Africa:
Trans Smart Trust (Zimbabwe) advocates for the rights of transgender and intersex people by providing safe spaces, psychosocial support, and access to medical care. The Orchid Women Empowerment and Support Initiative (OWESI) in Uganda is a sex worker-led organisation dedicated to LGBTQ+ sex workers, providing shelter, outreach, and awareness programmes. Nadharia CBO (Kenya) provides shelter and economic opportunities for LGBTQ+ people, using sports, arts and entrepreneurship to bring them together. MWYREA (Uganda) provides legal and practical support in extremely hostile conditions and creates jobs through its own initiatives. AGIR International (Benin/West Africa), meanwhile, provides humanitarian, medical and legal assistance to LGBTTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers.
In Asia, we support the Pride Business Network Foundation in India. This organisation promotes the economic inclusion of LGBTQ+ people through employment projects such as the Trans Café. Although Europe has long been known as a relatively safe region for LGBT rights, we have recently seen a worrying deterioration in several places due to political, social and cultural developments. In Europe, we have supported two organisations: The Queer Sista Platform in Armenia is a queer-feminist organisation that creates safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people. FLIRT (France) supports transfeminine individuals in Paris by providing community building, mutual aid, and raising the visibility of marginalised groups.
In addition to these eight organisations, we were able to decide at the last minute to donate to the Pride Organisation in Hungary, given recent developments there. Furthermore, some of our members will travel to Budapest on 28 June to show their solidarity by attending Budapest Pride.
In these uncertain times, we are especially grateful to our 60 dedicated members. Thanks to their support, we have been able to help more organisations than ever before this year. Together, we are sending a powerful message: wherever in the world LGBTQ+ people are under pressure, we are letting them know that they are not alone.
The Give a Damn Foundation is a giving circle based in the Netherlands which selects organisations independently and does not consider project proposals submitted to it.
