The Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos (Fundo Brasil), in partnership with the Laudes, Ford, and Open Society foundations, has announced the launch of an $8.5 million fund to promote labor rights in Brazil.

The Labora—Fundo de Apoio ao Trabalho Digno (Fund for Decent Work) will address racial and gender equity as fundamental and interlinked challenges in an effort to promote decent working conditions for all, including protecting and advancing the rights of urban and rural workers and empowering those most vulnerable, such as informal, migrant, and care sector workers. According to recent research by IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geographies and Statistics), 37 percent of all unemployed people in Brazil are Black women, while only 16 percent are white men.

Fundo Brasil will be responsible for the implementation and management of the new fund, with the support of three global seed contributors.

“We are a foundation with profound understanding of the field of human rights in Brazil, its challenges and root causes,” said Fundo Brasil executive director Ana Valéria Araújo. “For the past 15 years, we have been giving financial and non-financial support to small organizations in urban and remote places. Fundo Brasil’s expertise in managing and implementing funds will be key for the success of this new fund.”

(Photo credit: Laudes Foundation/Tatiana Cardeal)