On November 16th, the Ford Foundation announced a 5-year, US$25 million grant to the WIEGO Network. Funding will be shared with WIEGO’s partners, HomeNet International, the International Domestic Workers’ Federation and StreetNet International.
Sarita Gupta, director of the Ford Foundation’s Future of Work(ers) program stated “We know there can be no global recovery without informal workers. This grant recognizes the importance of ensuring billions of informal workers have a seat at the table to have their voices, demands and needs heard at the national and global levels, so policymakers and business leaders recognize their contributions and value.”
Guardian Labs
An interactive Guardian Lab article, More Than 2 Billion Workers Make Up the Informal Economy, accompanied the announcement to highlight the size and significance of the informal economy and to raise the visibility of the worker organizations fighting for improved livelihoods for informal workers.
News of the funding announcement was covered by TIME, Fast Company and other news outlets.