The Minga Foundation

12/02/2025

Thank you all for standing with us.

This past year has been difficult for many, and we recognize how the needs of our communities have swelled as the larger powers fail us. Even while the onslaught of attacks can feel overwhelming, at Minga we are continuing to do the work. Our long-term partners are inspirational, and a reminder of how justice and equity build slowly, with continued persistence and imagination.

For this Giving Tuesday, we want to share some updates from the past year from our long-term partners SEIINAC in Mexico and ARQDVC in Brazil, along with highlights from our recent annual board retreat, where we renewed our vision for community-led change in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

We hope you’ll continue to join us in this work, maintaining hope and building stronger communities, together.

Visit this link for details in our latest newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/02256e12eac5/qgzik11nrs-9169533?e=52e3a30dd1

Sincerely,
All of us at Minga

11/26/2025

We stand with our project partners in México: we demand an end to feminicide!

On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and 65 years after the legacy of the Mirabal sisters, SEIINAC speaks out with respect and remembrance for all the girls, adolescents, and women who have been taken from us.

11/25/2025

At Minga Foundation, we’re hearing from partners around the world about the deep cuts to USAID programs. In our recent meetings, we’ve been focused on what this shift means for our work and the communities we support. Despite these challenges, we’re pressing forward. Our goal is to continue showing that while the U.S. government may be stepping back from humanitarian aid, the American people have not stopped caring — and neither have we.

Here's a great article that delves into one example of how USAID cuts have affected communities in Nigeria -- Life After PEPFAR: Without access to PrEP and other services, women-led NGOs are scrambling to rebuild—not just health, but economic and social support too. Local groups are now funding holistic community programs: farming, girls’ education, counseling, all to fill the gap left by PEPFAR’s retreat.

Trump’s aid cuts have gutted HIV programs across Nigeria—forcing local women-led groups to rebuild health and dignity from below.

11/16/2025

Minga and SEIINAC hit the road to bring reproductive health education to remote towns in Hidalgo. Workshops, hospital visits, and community engagement—all in one unforgettable week.

10/11/2025

Breaking Stigmas, Building Trust in Hidalgo, Mexico

Teens, parents, and educators join Minga partner SEIINAC for workshops on s*x education and abortion rights.

06/27/2025

Minga visits our first project partner in Ecuador!

Earlier this year, co-founder & Vice-President Karin Friederic and Treasurer Brian Burke traveled to beautiful coastal Ecuador with their family to visit with godchildren, celebrate International Women's Day, and meet with the Comité Campesino del Páramo (local health committee) to launch the new community ambulance and health outreach project.

For 14+ years, the Comité had been using a retrofitted Toyota Hilux as an ambulance (financed by the International Foundation and Minga in 2007, see final picture). This past year, through incredible community based generosity and collaboration, they raffled it off to purchase a new vehicle that is better equipped for current needs in the region. Soon, we'll be launching a new campaign to support the long term use and sustainability of health outreach in this rural region, whose population has exploded in recent years. Please follow us and stay tuned!

03/08/2025

These cuts are already having significant impacts on the lives of women and girls globally but will also lead to further economic and political destabilization. Fight back by contacting your elected officials now and donating to organizations like Minga that work to mitigate the impact of these cuts.

In just over a month, President Trump has unleashed unprecedented devastation on the SRHR globally.

This includes attacks on US foreign aid for family planning, a critical service that saves lives and gives people control over whether and when to build their families.

Since a stop work order was issued on January 25, more than 5 million women and girls have been denied contraceptive care—and that number is growing every day.

The Trump administration’s actions will have dire consequences for the health, rights and dignity of communities around the world.

See our by-the minute counter showing the number of people globally who are being denied access to vital contraceptive care: guttmacher.org

03/08/2025

Donate to Minga on International Women's Day because....Women in the village of Xoxolpa don't have a health clinic where they live. They need to walk about 40 minutes to the nearest clinic where they can obtain basic healthcare a few days a week. Women described being most comfortable with requesting the monthly contraceptive shot because it was private and not visible to others, including their partners. They expressed fear that if they got the IUD or Implant, the local doctor wouldn't be willing to remove it at their request and would send them to a site farther away for removal. During our workshop in Xoxolpa, SEIINAC provided education about different contraceptive methods to these women and also discussed their right to use any method they choose and to request removal of any long-acting method when they desire. They also educated the men and adolescent boys about the importance of participating in discussions together with their partner about ideal pregnancy timing and family size. Reproductive justice centers the values, desires and needs of individuals and makes sure that no one is prevented from using nor forced to use contraception unless they choose. Support SEIINAC's efforts to expand reproductive justice to the marginalized communities in Hidalgo, Mexico by donating today.

03/08/2025

Help us grow our partnership with SEIINAC to expand women's rights in rural Mexico

03/08/2025

This International Women's Day, help Minga resist the global backlash against reproductive rights and gender equity by donating to our project with Seiinac. Our long-time board member, Dr. Erin Lund, visited Hidalgo, Mexico this February and helped SEIINAC gain a deeper understanding of the medical system challenges to providing reproductive healthcare in remote communities, and SEIINAC demonstrated their skills in dynamic group facilitation, leading multiple s*xual health workshops for adolescents, parents and teachers. While there, we learned that SEIINAC is losing funding for another project on reducing violence against women because of the USAID funding freeze. We aim to raise more than we had planned for our project with SEIINAC to support them in this rapidly changing landscape of global health funding. Please join us in resisting the backlash against vulnerable communities worldwide. Donate to support women today!
https://givebutter.com/HsMZLn

02/11/2025

While the US government cuts funding for reproductive rights around the globe, Erin Lund is leading a Minga Foundation team to identify strategies for expanding family planning and reproductive rights services for indigenous people of Mexico.

We're thrilled to see Erin and Guille collaborating all week with Seiinac and medical providers in the Huasteca of Hidalgo. We'll be sharing more updates soon!

📌Como parte del proyecto 'Uniendo voces por la autonomía: acceso al ab**to seguro en la Huasteca Hidalguense', se llevó a cabo una reunión con IMSS Bienestar Hidalgo, Servicios de Salud en nuestras oficinas, en la que participaron integrantes de The Minga Foundation.

🟢El objetivo fue entablar un diálogo con autoridades para identificar retos y buenas prácticas en la transversalización de los lineamientos de ab**to seguro, así como sumar esfuerzos para coadyuvar en el acceso gratuito y seguro para mujeres y personas con capacidad de gestar que deseen interrumpir su embarazo.

12/30/2024

Sending gratitude to each and every one of you for your support this year!