When women thrive, the Earth thrives.
WEA is a global organization on a mission to empower women’s leadership to protect our environment, end the climate crisis, and ensure a just, thriving world.
Our theory of change has a multiplier effect. We work with local women leaders who build up other leaders. 1 woman becomes 10, becomes 100, becomes 1,000 — and more.
By providing long-term investment and support to community-based groups, WEA ensures that they are able to deepen and scale the impact of their grassroots solutions. With these resources in hand, WEA Leaders not only go on to scale their own environmental initiatives: they also teach others to do the same.
What We Do
WEA invests in women leaders on the frontlines of the climate crisis to ensure social, economic, and environmental justice, by providing:
Training and Mentorship
including leadership development, strategic planning, business operations, and technical skill-building to promote grassroots, women-led climate and eco-entrepreneurial solutions.
Funding and Resources
including seed grants and ongoing funding to support the co-design and implementation of programmatic strategies alongside our regional partners.
Alliance and Movement-Building
to grow a strong, global network of women leaders to share support, strategies, and cross-pollinate their expertise and knowledge across regions.
Communications and Storytelling
to uplift women leaders’ voices, increase their visibility, and create opportunities for them to advocate for their work, establish partnerships, and mobilize resources for their initiatives.
OUR MODEL
Our Intersectional Approach
WEA works at the intersection of gender, racial, economic, social, and climate justice — because we know that one can’t happen without all the others. We focus on:
A Highlight from WEA's Work
Since 2005, Lia Putrinda has been protecting native mangrove and forest areas in East Java, Indonesia. The Clungup Mangrove Forest in East Java Indonesia is home to a delicate ecosystem. Lia and her neighbors rely on this critical habitat for food, income, and protection from extreme weather. Overfishing and illegal logging have put the entire ecosystem at risk. Lia has dedicated her life to restoring and protecting the Mangrove forest.
Through her participation in WEA’s Indonesia Accelerator, Lia strengthened her project design and technical skills, connected with other grassroots women leaders, and was awarded a grant to grow her work. Now Lia is engaging 5,000 members of local women’s groups in forest conservation, restoring and protecting 131 hectares of coastal and inland forest, educating local children in their environmental school, and training over 100 locals in ecotourism, 80% of whom were once forest encroachers. For Lia, protecting her forest means protecting her community’s future.