Activist Grant Making Panel - AGMP

My tenure as a member of the AGMP has been successful. It has also been insightful as well as informative. In this tenure, ISDAO has been able to grant different organisations (anglophone and francophone) funding opportunities to continue to work for the LGBTQI+ movement in West Africa. I have learned so much about the movement in other west-African countries as well as priority areas where funding should be diverted to. I have also enjoyed working with my colleagues; other AGMP members from different movements, sharing our expertise, experiences and well as our culture.

-- A queer woman from Nigeria

My tenure within the AGMP can be described as a very beautiful, enriching and exceptional experience. Indeed, being a member of the AGMP was an opportunity for me to renew my motivation as an activist by contributing to the building and improvement of the LGBTQI movement in West Africa by choosing projects that are not only relevant but also meet the current needs of our communities. The AGMP was also a learning environment for me because each member has a personal experience and the conversations we had to decide on projects allowed me to better understand the realities, struggles, achievements and challenges of other countries that I have not had the opportunity to visit. These have contributed to improving my knowledge and evolution and helped me to better project myself as an activist and as a human being.

-- A gay man from Burkina Faso

As a member of the LGBTIQ community in West Africa, I experience the same realities and living conditions as any other member of the community. Working, discussing and connecting with other community members in other countries gives me the ability to know and understand what is urgent and most important to do to improve the living conditions of our local and regional communities. My non-partisanship also allows me to engage in fluid, open and relevant discussions with other AGMP members in order to make objective decisions that contribute to the advancement of ISDAO's work.

-A transgender woman from Ivory Coast

The grants approved by the AGMP in the last two rounds were selected through an inclusive and transparent process. The grants approved by the AGMP reflect ISDAO's priorities and are in line with ISDAO's own vision. And because ISDAO itself took the time to get to know and understand the context of the LGBTQ movement in the region, I can say that the approved grants reflect the priorities of the movements at the regional level. And because the decisions were made by a panel of activists from different countries and communities, we believe that the grants reflect the priorities of the movements at the national level as well.

-- A gay man from Mali

I bring my knowledge of the LGBTQI+ community in Sub-Saharan Africa. I also bring an in-depth knowledge of holistic security from my many years of consulting and providing digital and cybersecurity training and support to journalists, human rights defenders and LGBTQI organisations across the region. I bring with me my research and programmatic experience. I bring with me extensive experience in community organising both virtual and offline. I also bring with me a network of activists from my home country as well as across the region

-- A queer woman from Nigeria

My tenure has given me a much better understanding of the LGBTQ terrain in West African countries (English and French speaking), in addition to everything I know about Nigeria. As I read the different proposals, I realize the diversity between the different countries and the need for different approaches for each country. This has allowed the LGBTQI movement to thrive. During this time, I have also come to understand the need for equity to ensure fairness and inclusion in the distribution of resources among LGBTQI organizations in different countries. Equity is integral to the allocation of resources for the growth of the LGBTQI movement.

-- A sexually fluid transgender woman from Nigeria