A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO: BECAUSE OF YOU, WE’VE COME SO FAR
From funding cuts and natural disasters to celebrating our 40th Anniversary, what a year it’s been so far! But throughout the highs and lows has been the ongoing support of people like you.
YOU are the reason why we can continue the fight for gender equality.
Our latest Insight from the Movement newsletter provides a deeper insight into your impact, the power of movements, how we partner for change, and what the future holds.
By continuing the momentum we have built together over the last 40 years, I truly believe a more just world is not only possible, but within reach.
Thank you for being part of our movement.
Nayomi Kannangara, CEO IWDA
HAVE YOU COMPLETED OUR 2025 SUPPORTER SURVEY?
In the fight for gender equality, your voice matters!
By taking just 10 minutes to out of your day to complete our 2025 Supporter Survey, you will help us improve our vital work to empower women, girls, and gender diverse people across Asia and the Pacific. Your feedback will also help us better serve your interests and tailor your experience as one of our valued supporters.
Every survey received before 15 October 2025 will go in the draw to win one of ten $200 MECCA vouchers!
Scan to complete the survey now:
As the 2025 financial year came to a close, our community came together in a powerful show of solidarity — raising over $430,000 during the EOFY period alone. This outpouring of support reflects the deep care and commitment of supporters like you who continue to stand with women and girls when it matters most.
Your support is already making a difference. In Myanmar — where armed conflicts, deepening humanitarian crises, and a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake continue to endanger lives — our partners are still on the ground, caring, leading and organising in the face of it all.
create space for women-led movements to flourish. You stood with women who are rebuilding lives and communities under impossible circumstances. You invested in a future grounded in care, courage, and leadership.
“Girls and young women are not passive victims,” Yadanar says. “They are organising in their communities, leading peer groups, launching campaigns. Their movement is reshaping resistance. We must not only protect them—we must learn from them.”
This is the world we want — and can create — together. Thank you for standing with us.
THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH OUR PARTNERS IN MYANMAR EARLIER THIS YEAR UPDATE: FUNDING CUTS
“They stayed when others left,” says Yadanar, IWDA’s Myanmar Program Manager. “They are not large aid agencies. They are part of the communities they serve—working where others cannot, or will not, go.”
In a recent interview with MECCA M-POWER, Yadanar reflects on the powerful moments that shaped her path — witnessing young women in Myanmar organise, lead, and care for their communities, even in the face of crisis.
Those experiences have inspired her ever since. She has led IWDA’s work in Myanmar — supporting women-led organisations that continue to provide not just essential services, but hope, dignity, and solidarity in a collapsing system. And they’re still standing because YOU continue to stand with them.
Your support doesn’t just keep emergency responses going — it helps our partners defy the decline in international aid and protect the progress women and girls have fought so hard for. These are not one-off interventions. They’re long-term commitments to shifting power, investing in mental health and leadership, and ensuring movements can survive — and thrive — even under military rule. Over the last financial year, you helped
A recent UN Women survey of 411 women-led and women’s rights organisations across 44 crisis settings found that 90% said their operations have already been financially impacted* , and nearly half expect to shut down within six months without new support.
These kinds of cuts show why we can’t rely just on institutional or government funding — it’s often unpredictable and vulnerable to shifting policies or budgets. That’s where supporters like you come in. When you contribute, you help build a more stable, independent funding base — one that can sustain long-term work, protect progress, and respond quickly when it matters most.
Your continued support not only creates lasting change today, but helps strengthen resilience tomorrow.
CREATING LASTING CHANGE WITH EVERY MOVEMENT
Change doesn’t happen by chance — it is made through vibrant, resilient movements. That’s why strengthening feminist movements is at the heart of what we do at IWDA.
The rights we enjoy today have been won by movements throughout history. Racial equality. Safe working conditions. Accessibility laws. Marriage equality. And of course, women’s right to vote, thanks to the Women’s Suffrage Movement almost 150 years ago.
These movements had much in common: courageous leaders, grassroots partnerships, and a shared political goal. When these forces collide, their influence is unstoppable. From protesting and advocacy to research and legal action, movements have the power to change public perception and transform society.
Every movement needs people who believe change is possible. And that’s where you come in. Together, we are part of something bigger — a global feminist movement that is reshaping the future.
THE POWER OF FEMINIST MOVEMENTS
Research shows feminist movements are more powerful drivers of change than national wealth, progressive political parties, or even the number of women in government.
That’s why, for the last forty years, IWDA has stood alongside vibrant, resilient feminist movements to equip, resource, and champion their cause. We are also a movement actor in our own right — engaging in advocacy, systemic change, and solidarity.
THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF OUR MOVEMENT!
Your support helps ensure that feminist movements across Asia and the Pacific have the resources and strength to realise the feminist future of our dreams.
When we are united over a shared vision and take bold action together, our collective power is unstoppable.
OUR 4S APPROACH TO STRENGTHENING FEMINIST MOVEMENTS
STEP UP and leverage our power to secure resources and access for women’s rights, and contribute to feminist movements.
STAND WITH feminist movements in solidarity and amplify the work of Majority World actors.
STEP BACK when others are better placed to take the lead.
SIT WITH uncertainty, embrace communal learning and listen together, and allow time to discern the best path course of action.
This evolving approach shows how, together, we can strengthen feminist movements for lasting change. Now embedded in IWDA’s new strategy, it reflects our growth and vision.
A TASTE OF COMMUNITY AND CARE: SAMLOR KARI
BY MIU KANOKKANTAPONG
In Cambodia, Samlor Kari is more than just a curry. It’s a dish deeply woven into community and celebration — rich with coconut milk, fragrant herbs, and memories passed down through generations. As someone from Thailand who has always been fascinated by the flavours of neighbouring cuisines, I love diving into this Cambodian gastronomic adventure.
Often enjoyed during weddings, family gatherings, or religious holidays, Samlor Kari is a dish that brings people together through warmth, care, and shared tradition. It feels like a hug in a bowl — and a delicious reminder of how the care you help us support can cross borders, cultures, and movements.
At one of our partner organisations in Cambodia, Samlor Kari may be shared after community visits or training sessions — offering a moment of care, connection, and rest.
But it’s not just enjoyed there — it’s also found its way into the hearts (and kitchens!) of our Melbourne head office, where it’s lovingly recreated by colleagues, often with curious improvisations and lots of storytelling in between bites.
Samlor Kari is traditionally made with:
Protein of your choice: chicken, beef or tofu
Coconut milk
Lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, and garlic
Sweet potatoes, carrots, and eggplant
Khmer (Cambodian) curry paste, “Kroeung”
Fish sauce and a touch of sugar
Served with rice or a baguette, it’s milder than Thai curries but no less comforting. Everyone has their own twist, and it’s always made to share.
WHY IT MATTERS
Care work — like cooking, caregiving, and emotional labour — is most often done by women. It is essential to every community, every society. But while it nourishes families and sustains social movements, it is so often unpaid, undervalued, and invisible.
The problem isn’t just that this work falls disproportionately on women. It’s that the work itself isn’t recognised for what it is: critical, lifesustaining labour.
With your support, IWDA and our partners are not only advocating for gender equality in policy — they’re also living it through care-centred, culturally grounded practices. Sharing a meal, comforting a colleague, honouring tradition. These are forms of resistance and resilience that your generosity helps make possible.
Change doesn’t only happen in parliaments or grand movements. Sometimes, it begins in kitchens — with a wooden spoon, a bubbling pot, and a commitment to community and care.
MEET THE AUTHOR
This article was written by Miu Kanokkantapong, Fundraising Campaigns Coordinator at IWDA.
I grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, where food and care have always been deeply intertwined in daily life. I’ve carried that love of sharing meals and stories with me into my work today.
Writing this reminded me how something as simple as a meal can be so powerful, bringing people together across cultures through small acts of community and care.
Scan here to find out Miu’s favourite recipe of Samlor Kari:
A POWERFUL MOMENT FOR THE GLOBAL FEMINIST MOVEMENT
Thanks to your support, IWDA has played a leading role in bringing the largest global conference on gender equality in the world to Melbourne next year.
Women Deliver 2026 is a space where world leaders, governments, UN agencies, donors, NGOs, and grassroots movements will come together to ask: What must change, and how do we deliver it?
And IWDA is right at the heart of it.
As a member of the Oceanic Pacific Regional Steering Committee, IWDA has played a leading role in bringing Women Deliver 2026 to this region — a move, years in the making. We’ve worked with feminist partners across Asia and the Pacific, alongside First Nations advocates, the Australian Government, and the international Women Deliver Secretariat to help make this moment possible.
“For too long, the voices shaping global aid have come from the top down,” says Camilla Price, IWDA’s Feminist Movement Strengthening Advisor.
“WomenDeliver2026isourchancetoflipthat script—tocentrecare,culture,andcollective action,andmakesurefrontlinefeministleaders are heard by those with power.”
Through your support, IWDA will help bring over 30 feminist leaders from across Asia and the Pacific to the conference — not as guests, but as speakers, organisers, and changemakers.
They’re already leading. This is about giving them the space to lead bigger.
The impact won’t stop at the conference. What’s discussed, challenged, and committed to at Women Deliver will shift how governments listen — rippling through donor strategies, and shaping how programs are designed on the ground.
And it only happens because people like you show up for the movement — not just in moments of crisis, but in moments that push global progress forward.
JOIN US AT THE WOMEN DELIVER 2026 CONFERENCE
WHEN?
27-30 April 2026
WHERE?
Narrm, Melbourne
Scan here to learn more about WD2026:
COMING SOON...
This Christmas, we’re sharing a story that lingers long after the last page. We sat down with the leader of one of our partner organisations to hear how her team is transforming lives — from fathers redefining role models to women building livelihoods against the odds.
Stay tuned for our Christmas Appeal where you’ll step into this journey of care, courage, and feminist leadership, and see how your support can help this work grow stronger. We can’t wait to share more.
40 YEARS OF EMPOWERING WOMEN THANKS TO YOU KEY MILESTONES IN OUR MOVEMENT:
Forty years ago, three Australian women set history in motion - a movement, a force, a rising tide for transformative change. Today, IWDA is the leading Australian agency entirely focused on women’s rights and gender equality.
Together, we have spent 40 years building a wave of collective power that has reshaped the conditions for women, girls, and gender diverse people. As we celebrate this milestone, we pause to reflect on the lessons we have learnt, the victories we have achieved, and look forward to a future that brings gender equality for all.
IWDA 40TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT
This anniversary is not only ours—it belongs to everyone who has contributed, challenged, and carried our vision forward. That includes you.
1985 – IWDA, Australia’s first development organisation focused on women, is introduced at the Third UN World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya. In our first year, we developed partnerships with 10 organisations across 10 countries.
Late 1980s – IWDA stands alongside First Nations women in Australia as they advocate internationally for their rights.
1994 – Facing closure, supporters raise $44,000 in just 24 hours (around $98,000 today) to keep IWDA alive.
1995 – IWDA plays a leading role in bringing Pacific women’s voices to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing through the Beneath Paradise project.
2000s – Groundbreaking research projects, including Triple Jeopardy (violence against women with disabilities in Cambodia), provide critical insights and influence services and policy.
2010s – Launch of Women’s Action for Voice and Empowerment (WAVE), a transformative women’s leadership program across Asia and the Pacific.
2020 – Research project Creating Equitable South-North Partnerships documents experiences of 35 Pacific women leaders in international partnerships.
2020 – Our flagship program, Equality Insights is launched —seeking to reshape the global development data landscape to ensure poverty data is inclusive, gendersensitive, and reflective of people’s lived experiences.
2021 – IWDA establishes the Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition, building a network of 200+ individuals and organisations.
2023 – IWDA leads historic Oceanic Pacific feminist delegation (65 advocates) to the Women Deliver Conference in Rwanda.
Wendy Rose, one of IWDA’s three founders
IWDA staff members and partners
THE NEXT DECADE OF CHANGE STARTS TODAY…
WILL YOU BE PART OF IT?
To every person who has stood with us, fuelled the fire, and believed in a more just and equitable world - thank you. Your support has transformed lives, strengthened communities, and driven real, systemic change.
But our work is far from over.
While we honour and celebrate our legacy, we are boldly stepping into the future with our new 10 Year Strategy.
This strategy is more than a document –it is our commitment to feminist movements, to decolonial practice, and to the collective power of those demanding a more just and equitable world. It is our roadmap for the decade ahead – and our renewed commitment to transforming systems of power and injustice through feminist action.
Anchored in the lessons of our 40-year journey, and guided by our fiercely held feminist and decolonial values, this new framework sets out both our long-term vision and the actions we will prioritise over the coming years to:
Shift resources to women’s rights and aligned organisations
Engage in movement strengthening Advance feminist and decolonial knowledge for change
Live our values by modelling a different way of being as a feminist organisation
This strategy is being launched at a time of profound upheaval. The gains of past decades are under threat – from funding cuts to the rise of antirights rhetoric that seeks to divide and silence us.
In the face of these forces, we are committed to be part of a powerful counterforce – one that resists, reimagines, and rebuilds.
We will continue to stand strong in our values –and in our belief that a better, more just world is not only possible, but within reach. Our history tells us this: when women’s rights organisations and feminist movements are bold, resourced and connected, they are unstoppable.
Thank you for your support. Your voice. Your time. Your investment. Together, we will build a wave of collective power to demand a more just and equitable world for all.
