EMpower Hong Kong Board Awards $671,000 in Grants

Posted 31 January 2022 in EMpower News   |   Share

Recently, EMpower and its HK Board approved $671,000 in 12 grants to grantee partners in emerging market countries. The board approved 6 grants totaling $510,000, and an additional $161,000 in 6 grants was approved internally.

COVID-19 continues to devastate many of the countries where we work, and Omicron threatens to only worsen the situation. Our grantee partners are working hard to meet the needs of young people and their communities under the direst circumstances. Many organisations have pivoted to meet the basic needs of their communities and come up with new ways to reach marginalised groups, especially and including adolescent girls. We remain ready to help and support our partners in the difficult days ahead and have offered maximum flexibility in our grantmaking.

Highlights from this latest round of grants include:

• Final grants have been awarded to two long time grantee partners, Roots of Health in the Philippines and VANGO in Vietnam. Following these grants, the organisations will have completed EMpower’s full grantmaking cycle of 10 years and created lasting change in their communities.
• We are excited to welcome new partners WeGrow Education in Vietnam and Digital Empowerment Foundation in India.
• Our first grant to Digital Empowerment Foundation will enable them to address the gendered digital divide in eight states across India: Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
• Our first grant to WeGrow Education will strengthen the sexual and reproductive health and knowledge of 2,374 young people ages 11 to 15 (of which nearly half are girls) across three schools in Thai Binh province.
• Three emergency grants have been made to help partners respond to the devastating typhoon in the Philippines and the earthquake in Bali.

Below is a short summary of the board approved grants that we are supporting:

Roots of Health, Inc. Philippines ($54,000 USD for 12 months)

EMpower’s seventh and final grant to Roots of Health, Inc. (ROH) will support organisational strengthening in four interdependent areas of leadership and management of the organisation. The programme will strengthen the capacity of the Senior Leadership Team and the Human Resources, Finance and Communications Departments. The grant will ensure ROH greater agility to deal with the changing environment and prepare them for the next phase of growth.

Vietnamese American Non-Governmental Organization Network (VANGO), Vietnam ($131,000 USD for 24 months)

EMpower’s seventh and final grant to VANGO will primarily focus on supporting deep impact at the individual level by enhancing the knowledge and sexual and reproductive health of 22,210 marginalised young people. The grant will also focus on transitioning leadership to the community, which will enable VANGO to plan for sustainability beyond EMpower funding.

Teen’s Key, Hong Kong ($84,000 USD for 24 months)

EMpower’s second grant to Teen’s Key will build the knowledge and capacities of 188 young people on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The programme will engage three tiers of participants: youth mentors, youth educators, and youth community members. The grant will also create a team of peer educators and expand the reach of the programme through online platforms on SRHR issues.

Yayasan Kusuma Buana (YKB), Indonesia ($124,000 USD for 24 months)

EMpower’s seventh grant to Yayasan Kusuma Buana (YKB) will enhance the SRHR knowledge and capacities of 2,910 marginalised young people, who are experiencing increased levels of stress and burnout because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antarang Foundation, India ($75,000 USD for 24 months)

EMpower’s fourth grant to Antarang Foundation will enable them to launch CareerReady 2.0, a two-year integrated career readiness programme to facilitate the transition from school to work among first-generation learners. The programme will be piloted and implemented through direct partnerships with 10 secondary schools/junior colleges in Mumbai, enrolling 2250 young people over two years, with a focus on young women in formal education.