We are thrilled to welcome new partners to our Spark Fund initiative.

The Spark Fund, a partnership between Global Fund for Children and the Avast Foundation, invests in youth-led and youth-focused groups tackling injustice and inequality, driving transformational change, and building a more inclusive post-pandemic world by harnessing the power of digital technologies.

The Spark Fund launched in the fall of 2021, and the first round of funding was focused on youth-led and youth-focused groups in Europe and Eurasia. Earlier this year, a regional youth panel in South Asia designed and led the grantmaking process in this region, selecting organizations to receive Spark Fund grants. Regional youth panels have also selected grantees in Southern Africa and the Americas.

[image_caption caption=”An interactive session with children in Pakistan. © Sindh Green Foundation” float=””]

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Meet the new South Asia Spark Fund partners:

FEMINIST GROUP BANGLADESH

Bangladesh | Dhaka

Feminist Group Bangladesh is a platform of diverse community women who are committed to ensuring gender equity and promoting feminism.

IDENTITY INCLUSION

Bangladesh | Dhaka

Identity Inclusion works to counter mental health stigmas, foster inclusion, and promote community-based services for people with psychosocial disabilities. Identity Inclusion envisions an inclusive society that realizes the full potential of excluded individuals through the transformation of social and public institutions and by providing psychosocial mental health support.

[image_caption caption=”A dialogue session with feminists in Pakistan. © Rural Development Foundation” float=””]

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KARAKORUM INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION

Pakistan | Gilgit

Karakorum Integrated Rural Development Organization (KIRDO) is a youth-led organization working in remote areas of Pakistan. KIRDO provides basic health facilities to rural communities, improves the quality of education in remote villages, and empowers youth through various initiatives.

KHUDKAAR

Pakistan | Layyah

KhudKaar is a social enterprise that is nurturing the community-building spirit in its local community through cultural activities, capacity development programs, emergency food relief, and fundraising for girls’ education in Layyah, Pakistan. KhudKaar also operates KhudKaar House, a community center where young people come to learn digital skills to find employment.

[image_caption caption=”Young people involved with KhudKaar in Pakistan. © KhudKaar” float=””]

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MIND MENDERS

Bangladesh | Dhaka

Mind Menders works to create a vast youth-led professional community that aims to eradicate mental health taboos and create a better Bangladesh. The organization spreads mental health awareness throughout the country and ensures access to mental health services.

ONGONA FEMINIST GROUP

Bangladesh | Chilahati

Ongona Feminist Group is a grassroots youth-led organization that is working to protect the rights of women, especially in the field of sexual and reproductive health.

[image_caption caption=”A monthly activity planning meeting in Bangladesh. © Ongona Feminist Group” float=””]

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RURAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Pakistan | Jamshoro

Rural Development Foundation (RDF) is a youth-led and women-led grassroots organization located in the Jamshoro district of Sindh province in Pakistan. RDF works to establish a sustainable, people-centered approach to improve the quality of life of women, children, and transgender people and to respond to the immediate needs of marginalized individuals.

SINDH GREEN FOUNDATION

Pakistan | Shahdadpur

Sindh Green Foundation (SGF) is a community-based, participatory, and youth-focused organization. Since 2010, SGF has operated in Sindh province in Pakistan providing youth and local Indigenous communities with education opportunities, capacity development, and basic health care, as well as promoting environmental conservation.

Header photo: A capacity development workshop. © Rural Development Foundation