LAHORE-The British Council as part of Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives announced the winners of its Gender Ecologies Grant Programme the other day.
The Gender Ecologies Grants were open for applications from October-November 2022 and offered grants each worth £30,000 to support on the development and delivery of projects that contribute to the Gender Ecologies programme, which explores the intersection of women, climate change and arts. The grants support collaboration between Pakistan and the UK with the proposal being Pakistan-led.
The five winning grants are The Way We Ate by SOC Films and Legacy West Midlands; Breaking the Waves: Stories of Women from the Indus Delta by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan and Film London; Understanding Indigenous Theory on the Environment through the Female Lens by Marvi Mazhar & Associates and University of Westminster; “The River’s Daughter” – a multilingual theatre musical by ALL4ONE Communications (Private) Limited and Insaan Culture Club Limited; and Permaculture Gardens of Resilience by Apnakam and Adrian’s Croft.
Laila Jamil, Head of Arts, British Council Pakistan, said “The five winning grants represent the best of Pakistan and UK collaboration and feature some extremely innovative ideas. From a virtual ‘Museum of Food’ to theatre musicals and community kitchens teaching permaculture, there is a real diversity of platforms and ideas and I cannot wait for the projects to get underway so they can be shared more widely. “Climate change is one of our main priorities at the British Council as it is one of the most urgent global challenges we face, particularly affecting the Global South. Through artistic engagement the projects aim to communicate climate issues and promote sustainable practices, highlighting the essential role women play in mitigating the impact of climate change.”
Mariya Afzal, Regional Head of Arts, South Asia, British Council, said, “The Gender Ecologies Grant is the final legacy project of our Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives programme which celebrated the 75th anniversary of Pakistan. Through the programme we were able to partner with 55 organisations, engage face-to-face with over 31,000 people and reach over 80 million people through online, print, radio and television media in Pakistan and the UK.
The biggest legacy of our work is the partnerships we made between Pakistan and UK’s culture, creative and education sectors and the opportunities we were able to provide young people in Pakistan and the UK, especially young women and girls.”