The Martha Farrell Foundation (MFF) has been set up to carry forward Martha’s spirit and legacy by advancing her pioneering work on gender mainstreaming and adult education, with the overall goal of achieving gender equality in India and around the world.
Martha was highly pragmatic in her approach, and believed that for gender equality to be achieved, it must be observed and practiced by everyone in their daily life, starting among family, friends and at the workplace. It was her conviction that the attitude and behaviour of men and boys must change if gender equality is to be secured over the long-term. She believed that learning is empowering, and that creating spaces for this learning to occur is an important mechanism for gender mainstreaming. In the same spirit, the Foundation supports targeted and practical interventions in areas relevant to Martha’s work. This includes gender mainstreaming, gender equality, preventing sexual harassment and violence against women, and continuing education.
The Foundation’s support will be global, located in spaces and communities which do not otherwise have access, and carried out with the same passion, excellence and long-term commitment that Martha applied in all aspects of her life.
The forms of action that the Foundation supports are in the following core areas:
- Scholarships to support field research in the area of sexual harassment at the workplace, and fellowships for men and women working to promote gender mainstreaming in communities and organizations
- Training programs for facilitators to learn and practice prevention of sexual harassment at workplaces
- Leadership development programs for young boys and girls
- Youth-led campaigns to address the growing incidences of violence against women, both within and outside the workplace
- Internships for students to work on and study gender mainstreaming in everyday life
The Foundation hopes to become an important source of information for those interested in and working on gender mainstreaming and adult education in its different forms. It will do this by compiling and disseminating Martha’s research, publications and speeches, and through the informal sharing of practical stories of gender mainstreaming by ordinary citizens.