We are thrilled to welcome 12 new partners to our global network of changemakers.
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 Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. A group of ten panelists aged 18-30 from Europe and Eurasia designed and led the grantmaking process in this region and selected 12 organizations to receive Spark Fund grants.
Meet the first Spark Fund partners:
FEMINISMD
Chișinău, Moldova
Feminismd raises awareness about gender equality issues. By utilizing its social media platforms and organizing in-person and online events, the organization informs teenagers in Moldova about gender equality and social justice issues and empowers them to combat these problems.
FRONTLINE YOUTH NETWORK
Berd, Armenia
Frontline Youth Network (FYN) is a community of young people who connect and empower other young people from rural and borderline communities in Armenia. Working at the grassroots level, FYN’s mission is to advance youth activism, engage people on the frontlines, and advocate for sustainable peace.
HAVASAR EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Yerevan, Armenia
Havasar Educational Foundation is a youth-led organization focused on improving access to inclusive education for children with disabilities. Havasar has created a mobile educational app that contains accessible lessons for children with visual, hearing, or intellectual disabilities.
INITIATIVE FOR SOCIAL CHANGES
Tbilisi, Georgia
Initiative for Social Changes (ISC) promotes and advocates for sustainable positive changes for the welfare and protection of social groups in vulnerable circumstances. The organization’s priority areas are child protection and welfare; gender equality and women’s rights; and youth empowerment.
INVISIBLE LABOR
Tbilisi, Georgia
Invisible Labor is a youth-led volunteer organization that promotes reproductive health and rights for women. The organization’s efforts are focused on alleviating period poverty, improving access to hygienic facilities and low-cost or free menstrual hygiene products, and increasing workplace protections.
NGO PHAROS
Ceadîr-Lunga, Moldova
NGO Pharos is a youth-led organization that trains other young people on how to work with local authorities so they can raise awareness about issues affecting youth. The organization also empowers young people to implement their own projects.
QUEER SISTA PLATFORM
Yerevan, Armenia
Queer Sista Platform is a queer feminist organization working with and for LGBTQ+ people. The platform hosts different queer initiatives and creates a safe space for self-expression, as well as for collective, peer, and professional support.
YOUTH CENTRE STUDEM
Bălți, Moldova
STUDEM is a youth center led and managed by a group of elected young people, and its priority is to increase civic engagement among youth. STUDEM also works to foster media literacy through partnerships with media institutions.
YOUTH FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
Tbilisi, Georgia
Youth for Public Health improves access to educational resources for young people in rural areas and supports and strengthens youth development. The organization is launching a mobile classroom that delivers on-site and in-person programs using specially designed equipment with interactive educational resources and a mobile cinema.
The Spark Fund also has three partner organizations in Ukraine. For their safety, GFC is not naming the Ukrainian organizations.
Youth panelists from Southern Africa, the Americas, and South Asia are in the process of designing and leading the Spark Fund grantmaking in their regions. Stay tuned for updates!
Header photo: A young person speaking at an Initiative for Social Changes event in Georgia. © Initiative for Social Changes
