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WHERE WE ARE

JASS is an international feminist movement support organization
rooted in the Global South.

We are organized regionally in Mesoamerica, Southeast Asia, and Southern Africa, each led by teams comprised of local activists with on-the-ground organizing experience and relationships to social movements. Our cross-regional and international learning, advocacy, solidarity and communications strategies are coordinated by global teams located in the Global North as well as South.

JASS MESOAMERICA

ā€œIn Mesoamerica, indigenous and rural women defending their lands and waters are labeled terrorists and bad women in smear campaigns that undercut public support and legitimize violence.ā€

JASS Mesoamerica works with indigenous and rural women as well as diverse women human right defenders, who are confronting corruption, political violence and protecting their land, and communities from the violence of extractive industries. JASS strengthens the leadership of women and gender justice activists through its Alquimia feminist movement builder schools and on-going support for safety and support networks including the Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders Initiative ā€” an activist network it helped found.

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JASS Southern Africa has put womenā€™s bodies at the center of our movement-building strategy. Here, as in many places, women bear the brunt of violence and inequality of all kinds ā€“ from second-rate HIV treatment to political upheaval to gender-based violence, economic insecurity and discrimination. Through its ā€œheart-mind-body approach,ā€ JASS supports women to unleash the knowledge, creativity, and tenacity born of those lived experiences. This approach enables women to bridge differences forging common ground and harnessing their collective power in networks to advocate for basic safety, services and healthcare.

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JASS SOUTHERN AFRICA

ā€œIn Southern Africa, public unrest in the face of political and economic corruption and instability ā€“ including the state’s failure to deliver basic needs, rights, and justice ā€“ is fueling xenophobia, polarization, and an acceptance of gender-based violence.”

JASS SOUTHEAST ASIA

ā€œIn Southeast Asia, activist organizations and leaders are “red tagged” as insurgents or labelled anti-government or anti-social by those in power. Also, increasingly influential religious extremists are working to turn back advances for women’s rights, LGBTI inclusion, and gender equity.”

JASS Southeast Asia creates intergenerational learning opportunities to develop the leadership of young grassroots women activists while fostering cross-issue alliances that bring together urban and rural, workers and land defenders, labor rights and LBT activists. In a context of rising fundamentalism and authoritarianism, feminist activism comes with considerable risk. By providing on-going political education and strategic accompaniment, JASS supports networks for creative advocacy and under-the-radar strategies as well as collective safety.

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JASS crossregional and global programs amplify the impact of our country and regional-level programs through 1) convening cross-regional exchanges to generate tools and analysis, and increase our effectiveness; 2) leveraging access to advocacy processes to build global solidarity and ensure feminist perspectives and frontline women activists are heard; and 3) documenting and publishing insights from practice to inform and influence international civil society and governments.

JASS Crossregional

“In this moment in which misogyny and racism are inextricable from the global rise of authoritarianism, feminists, including JASS, are poised to shape critical conversations about the future of democracy and human rights.”

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