Learn more about Mama Cash’s experience hosting Red Umbrella Fund from its former Executive Director Nicky McIntyre. In the article she describes ?the collaboration of sex workers and donors that established the Red Umbrella Fund?a truly pioneering participatory fund that puts sex workers in the driver?s seat on deciding where funding goes? the highlight of her 10 years at Mama Cash. She recalled: “Sex workers demanded that the collaboration no longer just be for donors but rather a genuine collaboration between donors and sex workers, one that would put the priorities of sex workers in the lead. They demanded that the focus of any funding should be on good funding (core, organizational support that is accessible to a range of groups, especially small organizations) and that it go to sex worker led groups, not NGOs working on sex worker rights. They demanded that sex workers have control over how the money would be spent and that whatever emerged would contribute to building a global movement of sex workers. They were not satisfied with only being participants in the process?they demanded to be in the driver?s seat. Wow! It was impressive, humbling, scary and exciting.”
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