Posted on April 1, 2024
Donations update: Support Black Voters Matter as it works to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This April, Black Voters Matter is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will support Black Voters Matter as it campaigns to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities and turn out voters, because effective voting enables a community to determine its own destiny.
Read this important blog post about Black Voters Matter’s critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to Black Voters Matter to assist its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding April grantees.
You know the drill. Every election cycle, we hear about the importance of voting, the power of the vote, blah blah blah. But if you’re a Black voter, that power often feels like a myth. Voter suppression tactics like restrictive ID laws, gerrymandered districts and a decrease in polling locations disproportionately target Black communities. The result? Lower voter turnout, diluted representation and a system that seems rigged against the interests of Black people.
But here’s the thing. We have the power to make the change that we want to see in our communities and that is why the work of Black Voters Matter is so important. The goal of Black Voters Matter is to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. We believe that effective voting allows a community to determine its own destiny. We agree with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he said, “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
BVM’s mission is a comprehensive approach to social justice, with a focus that extends far beyond voting rights and voter engagement. We recognize the interconnected nature of social justice issues and we’re at the forefront of campaigns for environmental justice, youth engagement, reparations, Medicaid expansion and more. Our work ranges widely, from raising awareness about the environmental injustices in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley to engaging college and high school students through our Take the Field campaign to advocating for affordable healthcare, but all of it is focused on creating a powerful coalition that reflects the diverse needs of Black communities across the country and all of it drives real change.
As we continue to grow and expand our impact, our work is becoming increasingly influential in shifting the narrative around Black voter participation by centering the voices and needs of Black voters. As we look to the future, the work of Black Voters Matter serves as a powerful reminder that grassroots organizing is the backbone of any successful social movement. And it’s time we fight back, by continuing to empower communities at the grassroots level and increasing voter turnout and civic participation.
To lean more about Black Voters Matter, watch this video overview at YouTube or visit BlackVotersMatterFund.org.
Posted on April 1, 2024
Vote for Black Voters Matter, Friends of the Earth and People for the American Way Foundation this April
Every month, CREDO members vote to distribute our monthly grant to three incredible progressive causes – and every vote makes a difference. This April, you can support Black Voters Matter, Friends of the Earth and People for the American Way Foundation.
Black Voters Matter
Black Voters Matter (BVM) Capacity Building Institute’s mission is to increase civic engagement and power building in predominantly Black communities. Our belief is that effective voting allows a community to determine its own destiny.
Our goal with this funding is voter outreach, education, and engagement throughout our target counties to help create excitement around voter turnout, educate community members and develop a community-driven agenda for expanded voting rights and progress on local issues (energy, criminal justice reform, and healthcare.).
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth believes that environmental protection and social justice are both part of the struggle for a healthy and just world. We fight polluters who put profit over people, and we help the public join in the battle.
A vote for Friends of the Earth will help us fight against polluters and policies that threaten our precious shared Earth. Above all your vote will help us fight for climate solutions that are fair for all the people and animals that call Earth home.
People for the American Way Foundation
Our focus is specific: Black male voters who have only voted once in the last several elections. This is one of the largest “get out the vote” programs directly focused on Black men. We reach them with targeted advertising and peer-to-peer texting.
CREDO funding will help People For’s nonpartisan efforts to educate and mobilize sporadic Black male voters to turn out to the polls. Our overall goal is for Black men to match Black women as the most engaged voting demographic group.
Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donations among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by April 30.
CREDO members who use our products and services everyday are the reason we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and join our movement.
Posted on March 20, 2024
Spring cleaning for your phone – delete those zombie apps
If you’re like most people, you’ve got a lot of apps on your phone that you never use. Streaming channels you don’t watch, fitness apps you’ve fallen out with, games that now bore you. A quarter of all apps downloaded are used just once and never again. Far more are used a few times and forgotten.
These zombie apps are, well, if not an apocalypse, at least a big problem for your phone. They hog storage and memory, clutter up your screen and open the door to serious security threats. They should be deleted. And, since this is the season of spring cleaning, now is a good time to do it. Here’s why.
The security risk
Zombie apps can pose a serious threat to your digital security. If an app is not regularly updated—either because you never use it or because it’s no longer maintained by its developers—it may contain unpatched vulnerabilities that open your phone up to hackers.
Good apps can also be hijacked by bad actors and turned into malware. In 2021, the developers of a barcode-scanning app sold it to new owners, who promptly injected malware into the app. The malware would open the web browser on the phones of users and display junk pages with ads. This made money for the app’s new owners but it was a major annoyance for the millions of Android users who had installed the app.
Google pulled the app from the Play Store to prevent future downloads but Google doesn’t notify users when an app gets banned, so anyone who already had the app kept on getting ads they didn’t want to see.
The only way to protect yourself from security risks like these is to go through all your apps and uninstall those that you don’t use or don’t trust.
The clutter factor
The average person uses around nine apps a day and around 30 per month. That means the typical smartphone user needs just over one screen’s worth of apps to do what they do in a typical month.
But if your phone is clogged with dozens of apps you don’t use, you might be wasting valuable time whenever you open your phone, scrolling and searching for the app you want—especially if you’re one of those people (like us) who doesn’t keep their screen very well organized.
Uninstall apps you don’t use and you’ll find the apps you do use a lot quicker.
The storage suck
Some apps gobble up a lot of space on your phone the moment you install them. Call of Duty: Mobile takes a whopping 15GB. Other apps start small, then hog more memory as you use them. Photo and video editing apps do this because they save a version of all the original photos and videos that you edit. The more you edit, the more space the app takes.
If you use an app often, it’s OK to give it space. But you should clean out all the apps you never use—the games you’re tired of, the zany photo filters that were fun for 20 minutes—to free up space for the apps you do use.
To check the storage used by your apps on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Storage. On your Android, go to Settings > Apps.
How to uninstall zombie apps
This is the easy part. If you have an iPhone, touch and hold the app you want to delete. When the menu appears, tap Delete App, then Delete. Uninstalling apps on an Android phone works the same way. Find the app, touch and hold it, and when the menu pops up, tap Uninstall.
How to get the ultimate app
One phone comes with an app you won’t find anywhere else—a phone from CREDO Mobile. And what’s the app? It’s the ultimate: it actually makes the world a better place.
Every time you use your CREDO Mobile phone, you generate donations for nonprofit groups fighting to make our planet more fair, sustainable, just and equal. Groups like the National LGBTQ Task Force, Green America, Planned Parenthood and Social Security Works.
These donations cost you nothing extra. But they mean everything to the nonprofits that rely on us. So join CREDO Mobile and get the good feeling that comes with knowing you support the progressive causes you care about, just by using our service.
You’ll also get everything you want from a phone company, like great rates, special deals on the latest devices and the nation’s top-rated, most reliable network.
Switching is easy. You can bring your current number and your current phone. To learn more, go to https://www.credomobile.com/byod/.
Posted on March 12, 2024
CREDO Customers Helped Support 9 Projects with DonorsChoose
With the help of new CREDO customers, we were able to support 9 amazing projects, helping teachers across the country to provide better resources and thoughtful experiences to their students. This donation will reach 2,061 students, over 60% of which come from schools where more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Our donation helped secure materials for creative STEM and recycling projects, obtain tools for growing at-school gardens of fruits and vegetables, and provide diverse, representative books for classroom libraries. In nine different cities throughout the country — Norwalk, CT, Gresham, OR, Philadelphia, PA, Colorado Springs, CO, Norman, OK, Oakland, CA, Jackson Heights, NY, Brundidge, AL, and Dickinson, TX – teachers will be able to help students from PreK up to 8th grade see themselves in their reading materials and understand the varied, important roles they can fill in creating and maintaining a safer, kinder, cleaner world. Thank you for your help in supporting these teachers, their classrooms and DonorsChoose.
Mr. Ferrari | Creative STEM Supplies | Norwalk, CT | Grades 6-8 | 700 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
Thank you for your generous donations to my classroom and my students. With your help, I am able to provide a creative, thought-provoking, inspirational, and collaborative class environment. Students are more engaged and willing to share and develop their ideas with peers, with the materials from your donation. With limited budgets, overcrowded classrooms, and high expectations, teachers in this country are and will continue to be in desperate need of supplies for their classrooms. Your contributions set an example for others to follow. Thank you.
With gratitude,
Mr. Ferrari
Ms. Orellana Lima| Diverse Books for Bilingual Students | Gresham, OR | Grades 9-12 | 200 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
I extend our deepest gratitude for your generous donation of bilingual diverse books. Your thoughtful contribution will significantly impact our students and their educational journey.
Your commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity within our school is truly commendable.
We are incredibly grateful for your support and generosity. The books you have donated will not only enrich our library but will also inspire countless minds for years to come.
With gratitude,
Ms. Orellana Lima
Mrs. Reagan | Let’s Plant and Grow Together | Philadelphia, PA | Grades 3-5 | 105 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
Thank you so much for funding this hands on learning experience for my students. I am beyond thrilled to be able to give them the opportunity to learn how to plant and grow fruits and vegetables in an urban setting. I know they will be so excited when I tell them that our planting project was funded. Thank you again for supporting us!
With gratitude,
Mrs. Reagan
Mrs. Dowell | Power in Diversity | Colorado Springs, CO | Grades PreK-2 | 20 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
What a wonderful surprise!! Thank you for your generosity and helping our students succeed!! I know they will enjoy school more and be excited to explore all these resources. They will be a great tool as we continue to grow and learn in the classroom. I know how important it is for our students to be exposed to different cultures and backgrounds!
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dowell
Mrs. Curtis | Where Are the Books About Kids Like Me? | Norman, OK | Grades 3-5 | 350 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
Wow! Thank you so, so much for helping me give my students books that look like them. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they get to check them out for the first time. Our school population has grown and grown this year with many new diverse students. Your contribution helps me to make them feel so welcome!
With gratitude,
Mrs. Curtis
Mrs. Solly | We Need Books That Represent Us! | Oakland, CA | Grades PreK-2 | 50 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
Thank you so much for helping my students get access to books about issues and personalities they can relate to and learn from. In our communication classroom we will be exploring many difficult topics using these materials and I cannot begin to thank you how much we appreciate your kindness and support.
Books offer not only knowledge, but it is a great way to escape life circumstances.
With gratitude,
Mrs. Solly
Mrs. Ketler | Reduse, Reuse, Recycle – a Pre-K Study! | Jackson Heights, NY | Grades PreK-2 | 18 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
Thank you so much for your support!
Your generosity made it possible for my students to learn so much more about reducing, reusing, and recycling.
We started off our study by filling the see through composting bin with some dirt. Then we added a piece of crumpled printer paper, a torn milk carton, and some banana and clementine peels. We watched for about three weeks to see what would happen. We learned that the only things that will break down and disappear quickly are the fruit peels. This made us really think about what to do with all the other things that we use and then discard.
We learned that recycling is really important and not only did we start recycling more things in our classroom but we also used the toy recycling truck, toy recycling bins, and the toy recycling center to role play what that would look like outside of our classroom.
We had a lot of fun and learned so much, all thanks to you!
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ketler
Mrs. Senn | Cultural Learning | Brundidge, AL | Grades PreK-2 | 18 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
You have made our day! Thank you so much for choosing our project to make a donation to. We are beyond excited that your contribution fully funded the remainder of the project. My students will enjoy looking through the books and learning all about different cultures and different areas. We are truly thankful! You are the best!
With gratitude,
Mrs. Senn
Ms. Strickland | Diversify Our Library | Dickinson, TX | 600 Students Reached
Dear CREDO Mobile,
THANK YOU so much for supporting literacy and diversity at our school! We find ourselves in times of banning books when we so desperately need kids to see themselves in the books that they choose. Just this week a black fifth grader was struggling to find a book featuring a young black female. That should never happen. Thank you!
With gratitude,
Ms. Strickland
Posted on March 11, 2024
Here’s your chance to help fix the gender pay gap
March 12, 2024, is Equal Pay Day, dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap that continues to be a problem for women workers.
How bad a problem? The statistics are startling.
- Women who work full-time in the U.S. earn just 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, a difference of more than $10,000 a year.
- Over the course of her career, a woman will make $417,000 less than a man.
- Women continue to lose out in retirement, because they have less in their 401(k) and Social Security accounts. The average woman has 50% less in her 401(k) and gets around $4,000 less in annual Social Security benefits.
If you’re an American woman (or man) you should be outraged by numbers like those. And you should do what you can when you can to help fix the gender pay gap.
Here’s one thing you can do now: join CREDO Mobile, the phone company that fights for women’s rights—in the workplace and every place.
If you believe in equal rights, you belong with CREDO Mobile. To date, we’ve donated over $11 million to nonprofit groups working hard for women’s rights, including Planned Parenthood, Global Fund for Women, Equal Rights Advocates, National Network to End Domestic Violence and many others.
Ready to switch? Ready to join the phone company that fights for women’s rights? Join us today and you can help raise millions more in donations, just by using your phone. These donations cost you nothing extra. But they mean everything to our nonprofit partners dedicated to women’s rights and other progressive causes, like climate justice, LGBTQ+ rights and economic equality.
Posted on March 10, 2024
Donations update: Support Rise Up as it partners with powerful women and girl leaders to transform the world
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This March, Rise Up is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will help Rise Up as it partners with women, girls and allies who are transforming their communities and countries in a global movement for justice and equity.
Read this important blog post about Rise Up’s critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to Rise Up to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding March grantees.
Right now, harmful laws and practices deny women, girls and gender-nonconforming people basic rights and freedoms, including access to education, health and economic opportunity.
Local leaders — women, girls and allies — in communities around the world are working to uproot these systems of oppression by advocating for gender equity and justice. However, without access to the training, funding and support networks they need, these leaders face significant challenges and their voices often go unheard.
At Rise Up, we’re addressing global challenges differently. Since 2009, our powerful network of 800 leaders has successfully advocated for over 185 new and improved laws and policies, positively impacting more than 160 million people globally.
To advance gender equity, we invest in the power, resilience and agency of local leaders who best understand their own lived realities and develop their own solutions to the problems they face in their unique social, cultural and political contexts.
We identify visionary local leaders in countries around the world, listen to their hopes and goals, recognize their power, support their ideas and invest in their advocacy strategies. Each Rise Up Leader participates in an intensive leadership and advocacy training program, has the opportunity to receive competitive grant funding to advance gender-equitable laws and policies, and is connected to a global network of peers, allies and funders — all with the goal of creating meaningful, lasting change.
Rise Up embraces an intersectional approach and focuses on the three core areas of education, health and economic opportunity because these are central to women and girls’ ability to pursue their aspirations and achieve success safely and autonomously.
In the face of enormous obstacles, we’ve seen Rise Up Leaders persevere to achieve the change their communities and countries need most by successfully advocating for laws, policies and programs that improve the lives of women, girls and gender-nonconforming people.
2024 is a very special year for Rise Up, as we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary. In partnership with Rise Up Leaders and their organizations, we’ve made significant progress on some of the world’s biggest challenges in those 15 years. We’ve helped bring an end to child marriage in India, strengthened protections for gender-based violence survivors in Nigeria, increased women’s economic opportunities through workplace-safety measures in South Africa, improved access to education for girls in Kenya and enhanced prenatal and postpartum care for Black mothers in the U.S.
Rise Up Leader spotlight
Nsini Udonta has seen the effects of gender-based violence in Nigeria, through her personal experience in an abusive marriage and through her work at a domestic violence shelter. With Rise Up’s support and funding, Nsini successfully advocated for the implementation of a law to ensure domestic violence cases would be fast-tracked for processing within 72 hours, protecting 4.5 million women and girls from violence in Nigeria.
“My hope for the future is to see equity, opportunity and social justice for women and girls in Nigeria and across the globe,” Nsini says.
Even though achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls is one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, we are not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030.
We know that realizing Rise Up’s vision of an equitable world is a long and uphill battle but we remain hopeful and action-oriented due to Rise Up Leaders’ tenacity. Each dollar of support for Rise Up goes toward powerful Rise Up Leaders who are transforming their communities and countries.
Rise Up Leader spotlight
Riya Thakur joined the Rise Up network with a decade of experience and a vision to combat a lack of sexual and reproductive health services in underserved parts of Delhi. Riya worked to increase young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services to prevent unwanted pregnancies and improve school enrollment outcomes. With the training and funding she received from Rise Up, Riya and the Population Foundation of India achieved the support of the Delhi government and ensured that 550,000 young people now have the ability to make their own decisions about their bodies.
“The unique design of the Rise Up leadership initiative helps advocates and leaders to implement their ideas through the provision of financial support,” Riya says. “This helps create a ripple of change — one leader to many.”
The time for urgent action to advance gender equity is now. As we at Rise Up celebrates our 15th anniversary this year, we also are ready for the hard work ahead.
We can’t do this work alone. We need your support to strengthen the global movement for gender equity and justice. Together, we can make a difference and back Rise Up Leaders who are working for a future where everyone can thrive.
To learn more about what we do, please visit RiseUpTogether.org.
Posted on March 6, 2024
How to use your phone to scan your important tax documents
Tax Day is right around the corner, and if you haven’t filed yet, it’s time to quickly get all your documents in order.
The best way to save, store or upload your tax documents, especially if you have paper copies, is by digitizing them.
You don’t have a scanner? Not a problem! You can easily scan all your documents right from your smartphone. Here’s how.
Scanning tax documents from your iPhone or iPad
There are a few ways to digitize your tax documents from an iPhone or iPad. The simplest way is to simply open your camera app and take photos of each document. Make sure you place your documents on a well-lit, flat surface and snap a picture of each one. This method will be a bit time consuming, since the files will be stored as images (not PDFs) and you will need to manually crop and organize each one.
However, our preferred method is using the Files app, which will automatically recognize, scan and crop your documents and help you organize them for easy sharing at a later date. Here’s how to get started:
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- Open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad
- Tap the Browse tab (likely in the bottom corner)
- Tap the three dots in the top right corner and choose Scan Documents
- Position your document on a well-lit flat surface and hover your phone’s camera over the document. The app should automatically recognize and scan it. The file will be placed in your scanned documents
- Continue scanning documents until you are done. Click Save.
- Choose the folder you would like to save your documents in, or click the three dots at the top of your screen to create a new folder. Click Save to save your documents.
Scanning tax documents from your Android device
Scanning documents on Android devices can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some models have a built-in scanning function in the Camera app, while others do not. However, you will likely use Google Drive on your Android to store your documents, photos and other important information, so here’s how to use Google Drive to scan your tax documents, which should work across all Android models.
- Open the Google Drive app. (If you don’t have Google Drive installed on your device, download and install it from Google Play here.)
- Tap the “+” button, then tap Scan.
- Position your document on a well-lit flat surface and hover your phone’s camera over the document, then tap the shutter button. You can now edit, crop or rotate the image.
- To add more documents, tap the + button.
- When you’re finished scanning, click Save. Now give your document a name and organize your files in Google Drive.
Posted on March 5, 2024
Donations update: Support Stop AAPI Hate in its effort to end racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This March, Stop AAPI Hate is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will help Stop AAPI Hate in its mission to advance the multiracial movement for equity and justice by building power in its communities, working in solidarity with other communities of color and advocating for comprehensive solutions that tackle the root causes of race-based hate.
Read this important blog post about Stop AAPI Hate’s critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to Stop AAPI Hate to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding March grantees.
“My elderly grandmother was chased and almost attacked by a racist man as he was yelling at her to go back to China and Chinatown. The man was about to push my grandmother down a flight of stairs until she begged him not to and was able to run away.” – Woman in California
“I was walking up the stairs to a restaurant in the suburbs and this individual said, ‘Hey, Osama bin Laden.’ I asked him, ‘What did you say?’ and he said, ‘F–k you.’” – Man in Georgia
Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate has a long and deep history in the United States. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, hate acts against our communities dramatically increased, generating immense fear and pain. Recognizing the need to document the alarming rise of anti-AAPI racism and discrimination, AAPI community leaders and activists launched Stop AAPI Hate as an online reporting center.
Stop AAPI Hate is a coalition founded by Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University and the AAPI Equity Alliance after they recognized the need to document the rise of Covid-19-related racism and ramp up efforts to address anti-AAPI hate more broadly. In four short years, Stop AAPI Hate has become the nation’s largest reporting center documenting anti-AAPI hate acts and has received more than 11,000 reports. We also leverage our wide-reaching platform to combat racist stereotypes, elevate the diverse experiences of AAPIs, advocate for policies and inspire everyday people to take action against hate.
Today, our work extends beyond pandemic-related hate. Anti-Asian scapegoating and political rhetoric are on the rise, compelling Stop AAPI Hate to ramp up our efforts to tackle not just interpersonal hate but also institutional and societal hate. We’re leveraging data and research, policy and advocacy, strategic communications and community care strategies to fight anti-AAPI hate in all its forms. Our recent work includes:
Stop the Blame, a national campaign dedicated to tackling anti-Asian political scapegoating by confronting the rising tide of racist and xenophobic political rhetoric and policies targeting Asians in America.
An online data visualization tool that boosts access to data from our hate acts reporting center, which includes real-life stories from AAPIs impacted by hate as well as interactive dashboards.
New reports that highlight the diverse forms of hate AAPI communities experience and encourage tailored solutions to combat various types of racism and discrimination.
Posted on March 4, 2024
Funding from CREDO Mobile supports Amazon Watch in its fight to protect the Amazon rainforest
The Amazon is on the brink. A record drought is drying up rivers and killing irreplaceable wildlife like rare freshwater dolphins. Megafires are burning the rainforest by the square mile. Mega-development, extractive industries and agribusiness are adding to the destruction.
But thanks to long-term resistance and organizing by Amazonian peoples, we still have a chance to protect the remaining rainforest. For over 28 years, Amazon Watch has worked to protect the rainforest—and our climate—in solidarity with in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. Amazon Watch carries out campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon’s vital ecological systems in partnership with Indigenous, forest and traditional peoples throughout the Amazon Basin.
To do all this, Amazon Watch needs support—and CREDO Mobile provides it. In August, our customers and community members voted to send a significant grant to Amazon Watch and it will enable the group to continue its mission to defend the rainforest.
Here’s a report from our friends at Amazon Watch that describes the many ways our donation is making a difference.
Recent victories
One of the key ways CREDO Mobile supports Indigenous peoples is through Amazon Watch’s Amazon Defenders Fund (ADF). The ADF is built on nearly three decades of trusted partnership with Indigenous nations and local organizations.
Amazon Watch’s team receives requests from partners in many forms — from WhatsApp messages and voice memos to larger proposals — and mobilizes solidarity funds quickly, sometimes in as little as an hour. Nimble, effective responses are critical to assisting Earth Defenders at risk, uplifting Indigenous leadership, protecting land rights and driving solutions.
Here are some of the recent solidarity funds we’ve mobilized to Amazonian partners to advance their autonomy and self-determination, with CREDO Mobile’s generous support.
- Legal support for Indigenous rights in Brazil. We mobilized funds to the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) to bolster its legal department. With Brazil’s shifting political landscape and strong mining and agribusiness lobbies, APIB’s legal presence in the capital of Brasília has become crucial to securing Indigenous land rights in the country.
The legal department aims to enhance its capacity for political advocacy and legal action as it works to protect the Yanomami peoples who are facing a humanitarian crisis caused by illegal mining in their territories and battles to defeat the Marco Temporal “time limit trick,” which would undermine Indigenous territorial rights.
- Protection of Indigenous territories from mining and oil in the Western Amazon. The Amazon Defenders Fund supported the Kutukú Shaimi Protective Forest Committee’s fight against mining with funds for solar power that, among other benefits, enables internet access, which is crucial for timely communication in hard-to-reach communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Funds were also mobilized to support the Sápara peoples’ 2023 assembly, which emphasized the importance of unity and coordination among the Sápara nation’s 23 communities in defending their territories against oil exploration and extraction.
- Amplification of advocacy by Peru’s Indigenous communities. The ADF mobilized solidarity funds to the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest, Peru’s national Indigenous federation, for its strategic advocacy and communications to combat deforestation and protect territorial rights defenders. Additional support was provided for gender equity work to strengthen the power of Amazonian women leaders.
- Support for Mining Out of the Amazon. In addition to the solidarity funding and accompaniment described above, with CREDO Mobile’s funding, Amazon Watch is ramping up our campaign to get Mining Out of the Amazon. Legal and illegal mining cause major environmental and human rights abuses in the Amazon.
SAMSUNG CSC
Together with Indigenous partners and allies, Amazon Watch is strategically campaigning to halt mining in the Amazon basin by: publishing risk alerts exposing the disastrous impacts of major mining companies’ operations to their shareholders and investors; coalition-building with Canadian First Nations leaders resisting the same corporations; advancing Indigenous land rights so that Amazonian peoples can say no to mining in their territories; accompanying legal processes for justice; supporting Indigenous leaders’ presence at mining industry events and climate conferences; and much more.
Thanks to CREDO Mobile’s support, we’re making progress. Brazilian federal prosecutors are now suing to annul Canadian mining company Belo Sun’s dubious contract aimed at opening what would be Brazil’s largest open-pit gold mine in the heart of the Amazon. Belo Sun filed a retaliatory lawsuit that unjustly targets community leaders, environmental defenders, researchers and Amazon Watch staff (while not positive, this demonstrates just how impactful our actions are). Belo Sun’s stock tanked over the course of these actions, which shows the impact and progress of our #MiningOutoftheAmazon campaign.
New initiatives
Amazon Watch has a number of important new projects in progress.
- Amazon Underworld and related activities. On November 22, 2023, Amazon Watch, in collaboration with Amazon Underworld and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, released “Amazon Underworld: Illegal Economies in the World’s Largest Rainforest.” This groundbreaking report covers the expansion of organized crime in the Amazon and makes the necessary case that any efforts to contain organized crime must be rooted in Indigenous land rights, territorial governance and communal economies.
Solutions must protect Indigenous peoples who resist organized crime from violent retaliation. These solutions offer an essential alternative to existing policies favoring repression and militarization without addressing the factors contributing to organized crime’s expansion. In conjunction with the report’s release, Amazon Watch has convened meetings with Indigenous partners, allies, embassies, UN departments and government officials in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama to address the research and concerns raised in the report and advance Indigenous-led solutions.
- Amplification of Indigenous voices against the Ferrogrão. Right now in Brazil, Munduruku, Kayapó and Apiaká peoples and their allies are resisting the development of a mega-railroad known as the Ferrogrão (“grain railroad”), which would violate their right to consultation in their territories and imperil the Amazon.
The Ferrogrão is a priority of Brazil’s agribusiness lobby and major commodity traders like Cargill and would have a devastating human rights and environmental footprint. The complete infrastructure package could destroy over 285,000 football fields of natural vegetation (which would emit 75+ million tons of carbon), cause serious biodiversity loss, reduce vital ecosystem services and impact 16 Indigenous territories. In 2021, project development was suspended via an injunction but, last May, Brazil’s Supreme Court authorized the resumption of studies on the Ferrogrão.
Next month, the Supreme Court will issue a new ruling on whether the project should advance or if the original injunction should stand. Amazon Watch is coordinating closely with Indigenous peoples and local communities affected by the Ferrogrão. This includes: coordinating strategic communications and advocacy among diverse movement partners; amplifying the rights of Indigenous communities, like the right to free, prior and informed consultation (FPIC) regarding activities in their territories; advancing campaigns to officially recognize Indigenous land rights; educating the public about the complicity of companies like Cargill in the destruction of the Amazon and the violation of forest peoples’ rights; and increasing popular resistance to the Ferrogrão.
In December, more than 100 Munduruku, Kayapó and Apiaká people disrupted a hearing on the Ferrogrão to make clear that the project violates their rights to FPIC in their territories.
If you’d like to learn more or get involved with Amazon Watch, please visit AmazonWatch.org.
Posted on March 4, 2024
Donations update: Support Reproductive Freedom for All as it fights to pass proactive policies for reproductive freedom and hold anti-abortion extremists accountable
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This March, Reproductive Freedom for All is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will help Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) in its mission to fight for access to abortion, birth control, paid parental leave and protections from pregnancy discrimination.
Read this important blog post about Reproductive Freedom for All’s critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to Reproductive Freedom for All to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding March grantees.
In September 2023, NARAL Pro-Choice America announced that we would chart a new path forward as Reproductive Freedom for All. For the last 55 years, our organization and members have unapologetically helped lead the charge on both the state and national levels to protect and advance reproductive freedom through grassroots organizing, electoral change and political advocacy. Now, we’re in a unique and pivotal moment to reimagine the future of our movement and work — and it’s a moment we can’t afford to waste, especially with the looming 2024 elections, which will decide the fate of statehouses, Congress and the White House and, with them, the future of reproductive freedom.
As we have learned from our partners in the reproductive justice movement, the term “pro-choice” does not reflect the realities of those most affected by attacks on abortion access and reproductive freedom at large. For many — and especially for communities of color and others who are marginalized by our society’s institutions — there was never a choice.
Our new name, Reproductive Freedom for All, is an affirmation of our values that acknowledges our fight won’t be won until reproductive freedom is truly a reality for each of us. So while our core mission isn’t changing, our vision for how we get there is. Our more than 4 million members are fired up and we want more of the 8 in 10 Americans who support abortion access to join us so we can create a more powerful and diverse coalition.
To build power and take on the fights coming our way, we are reinvigorating our organizing program by:
- Emphasizing digital and relational organizing at both the state and national levels to mobilize our members to take action to protect, restore and expand abortion rights and access.
- Expanding our campus organizing program with an emphasis on community colleges — which we piloted in Michigan in 2022 — to states like Nevada and Arizona.
- Continuing to pioneer innovative research and drive cutting-edge messaging while leading the way when it comes to uncovering methods to reach new and diverse audiences.
- Working alongside our partners to elect reproductive freedom champions in key races in 2024 and beyond and to support legislation that advances our rights.
- Centering the fact that the systemic undermining of our democracy has impacted Black people, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities and young people the most.
With President and CEO Mini Timmaraju at the helm, we’ve doubled down on our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. And we’ve built and championed powerful statewide efforts alongside our partners to block egregious abortion bans and restrictions, and expand abortion coverage and access.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned nearly two years ago, the 8 in 10 Americans who support the legal right to abortion have made their voices heard loud and clear. This includes voters in red, blue and purple states — and people across the political and ideological spectrum. Our big wins over the last two years have been delivered by a diverse, inclusive coalition of voters, which demonstrates the importance of centering those most impacted by bans on abortion, including: Black, Latina/o/x, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Indigenous people; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; people with disabilities; and other historically oppressed communities.
With that knowledge, we are running our largest-ever electoral program ahead of the 2024 elections to mobilize even more of the 8 in 10. The upcoming elections will decide the future of this fight. We are working to ensure reproductive freedom champions are elected from statehouses to the White House and that we protect and expand abortion rights and access through ballot measures.
The stakes for this election could not be higher — Trump’s anti-abortion extremist allies have already laid out an 887-page blueprint that includes, in painstaking detail, exactly how he could leverage virtually every arm, tool, and agency of the federal government to attack abortion access. It is up to us to stop them.
Reproductive Freedom for All is a demand. It’s a call to action. And it’s a vision of the future we’re fighting for. It will take all of us to elect reproductive freedom champions and defeat anti-abortion extremists. Reproductive freedom can unite us all — we hope you’ll join us.
To support our efforts and learn more about what we do, please visit ReproductiveFreedomForAll.org.
