For distribution in South Eastern Asia we have partnered with GABRIELA, the National Alliance of Filipino Women based out of Quezon City in the Philippines. GABRIELA is unique in that they are a nationwide alliance of more than 200 women’s organizations that cut across sectors and regions, as well as including chapters and support groups of Filipinos and non-Filipinos on continents around the world.
GABRIELA, the General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Action, is an organization of Filipino women that advocates women's issues. Named in honor of Gabriela Silang, who led a revolt against Spain in the second half of the 18th century, GABRIELA was founded in 1984. GABRIELA-USA is the overseas chapter of the Philippine-based organization, extending the Filipino women's mass movement to the United States.
]]>For distribution in Central America we partnered with Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad (CIS) based out of San Salvador, El Salvador. With a network reaching all over the country, we are able to get pepper spray into the hands of women both in the major cities as well as the rural areas and mountain communities.
CIS was founded in 1993 after the signing of the Peace Accords in El Salvador. Solidarity groups from the United States, Canada, and Europe came together with Salvadoran popular organizations to develop a center to promote people-to-people relations after the war. The root causes of the war - economic and social injustice together with a lack of democratic openings to make change - were still present. It was agreed that continued international accompaniment and solidarity with grassroots movements for social and economic justice and participatory democracy would be needed to achieve structural changes in the post war period. The CIS mission is to promote solidarity and cultural exchange across borders between the Salvadoran people and others in the search for development and dignity. CIS works to promote and strengthen a culture of solidarity that implies accompaniment, respect for equality of different cultures, and mutual support between people. CIS focuses on using different strategies to promote a solidarity that creates the space for grassroots organizing for justice and dignity.
]]>We have partnered with the Red Brigade Lucknow for the distribution of our pepper spray in India. A non-governmental Women's rights group based out of Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India they are also the first NGO that we partnered with when we began the distribution of pepper spray.
Founded in 2010, The Red Brigade is a group of sexual assault survivors. The group started with awareness campaigns regarding women's issues, dressed in their red and black saris. As the group grew in size, the Red Brigade members began teaching self defense techniques to their members and girls in Lucknow as a way to defend against sexual assault. They organize and distribute our pepper spray donations to women around Uttar Pradesh, and integrate the use of it into their self defense seminars