Mano Amiga de la Costa Chica promotes the participation and well-being of Afro-Mexican girls, youth, and women. It empowers the rights of Afro-Mexican children and adolescents, prevents gender-based violence, strengthens community leadership, and provides emergency response. The organization’s work has supported hundreds of Afro-Mexican people through educational, cultural, humanitarian, and self-advocacy processes.
Afro-Mexican communities have been historically excluded from decision-making and face unequal access to basic services, health, education, and social protection. Global economic and political crises exacerbate the issues faced by girls in these communities. Additionally, the communities served by Mano Amiga de la Costa Chica are impacted by territorial violence, displacement, insecurity, and climate vulnerability.
With support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, Mano Amiga de la Costa Chica will provide safe spaces and training for girls to learn about violence prevention, community leadership, menstrual hygiene, gender equality, and child protection. The workshops will be tailored to the ages and sociocultural contexts of Afro-Mexican communities and will implement participant feedback. In addition, the project will promote community capacity-building to address climate and health crises that disproportionately impact Afro-Mexican girls.
The project is expected to reach 200 Afro-Mexican girls and youth. The project aims to strengthen the community’s social fabric, enhance local capacities to respond to crisis situations affecting girls, and improve access to protection mechanisms to ultimately create more favorable conditions so that Afro-Mexican girls and youth can fully exercise their rights.
To learn more about Mano Amiga de la Costa Chica, please visit the organization’s website and social media pages:
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