Member Research

Grounding LGBTQIA* Organising: Insights on property ownership from Southern and Eastern Africa

Claudia Bollwinkel (Dreillinden)

This research is derived from the 2024 project “Developing a Participatory Process for a Movement-Led Property Funding Mechanism,” conducted by The Firm Consulting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In recent years, Dreilinden has supported LGBTQIA* civil society organizations (CSOs) in purchasing properties in Bulgaria, Chile, Georgia, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Lithuania, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. This initiative aims to create movement-owned safe spaces and stabilize one of the largest operational costs—space expenses.

The 2023 research project began with the question: What might a movement-owned property funding mechanism for Southern and Eastern Africa look like? The hypothesis was that such a mechanism could generate more demand (a pipeline of projects) and more supply (increased donor involvement). The Firm Consulting, a collective of consultants with close ties to the movements, facilitated a consultation process. Activists and LGBTQIA* community members from nine Southern and Eastern African countries participated, providing their insights and helping to solidify the ideas.

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