The Malembe-Malembe project is an economic empowerment initiative for rural and peri-urban LGBTQ+ women in Benguela, Angola, particularly those facing heightened vulnerability. Building on 2024 research highlighting widespread economic insecurity, discrimination, and strong interest in entrepreneurship, the project combines vocational training, financial education, and income generation. It will train 70 women in cutting, sewing, and textile production, alongside skills in financial management, marketing, and collective organization. Ten participants will receive sewing machines and startup support to launch their own activities. A community fair and digital tools will support market access and visibility. By integrating training, material support, and market linkages, the project aims to strengthen economic autonomy, reduce vulnerability, and build sustainable, community-based livelihoods for LBQ+ women.

Let’s Go Formal and Embrace Success is an economic empowerment project supporting 10 businesses led by lesbian, bisexual, and LBQTNB AFAN migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons in the Bogotá metropolitan region. Addressing barriers to formalization, financial access, and employment, the project provides tailored support across three stages (ideation, launch, growth). Participants will receive individualized assessments, grants to cover formal registration, training on tax and financial inclusion, and three months of one-on-one accounting mentorship. The project also facilitates access to markets and institutional ecosystems through networking and matchmaking opportunities. Using AI-supported research tools, it will generate evidence on barriers and effective pathways. Overall, it aims to enable formalization, strengthen financial autonomy, and create replicable models for inclusive economic integration.

This project, Growing the LBQ+ Eco Corps, aims to improve the physical and mental wellbeing and economic empowerment of LBQ+ people in Guyana through a regenerative agriculture and permaculture-based initiative led by and for the LBQ+ community. Building on existing work, it strengthens environmental awareness while developing practical skills, producing healthy, chemical-free food, and creating a sustainable green business. The project will train at least five LBQ+ participants in regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and key business skills, including project management, accounting, marketing, and agro-processing. It will also provide hands-on experience and support the development of a viable, ecologically and financially sustainable enterprise that generates income, employment, and broader community benefits.

Since 2023, Nadharia has trained queer individuals in automotive mechanics, carpentry, and graphic design through hands-on, competency-based programs. While participants gained marketable skills, many still face barriers to employment due to discrimination, exclusionary workplaces, and limited access to capital and networks. The next phase focuses on transitioning graduates into sustainable livelihoods by expanding training and strengthening post-training support. It will provide mentorship, financial and investment training, and business development support to help participants launch viable enterprises. The project will also facilitate apprenticeships with inclusive partners and create market linkages through pitching and networking opportunities. Overall, it aims to strengthen economic security, reduce vulnerability, and support long-term financial independence for queer individuals in Kenya.

Resilient Livelihoods is a 12-month, community-led initiative supporting young LBQ+ women in Northern Nigeria facing poverty, violence, and exclusion. In a highly restrictive context, it addresses how economic insecurity drives vulnerability by combining livelihood support with safety-focused approaches. Participants (15–25) will receive market-relevant skills, entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and startup capital to develop low-visibility, income-generating activities suited to their contexts. The project also strengthens collective mechanisms such as peer savings groups, mentorship circles, and community learning spaces to build resilience and reduce isolation. Grounded in feminist, survivor-centered, and participatory approaches, it also supports community mobilizers and integrates safe digital tools for learning, market access, and storytelling. Overall, it aims to enhance economic security, autonomy, and collective strength while minimizing risk.

From Care to Income is an LBQ+-led initiative in Mombasa, Kenya, supporting LBQ+ parents to transform unpaid care work into dignified, income-generating livelihoods. Despite performing essential caregiving roles, many face economic exclusion due to stigma and discrimination. The project provides skills training in childcare, home-based care, catering, and domestic services, alongside financial literacy, pricing, marketing, and negotiation. Participants are organized into a Queer Parenting Cooperative to coordinate services, ensure quality, and strengthen collective bargaining power. By linking trained LBQ+ parents with LGBTIQ+ clients seeking safe, affirming services, the project creates inclusive economic opportunities. Grounded in feminist economic justice, it aims to strengthen income security, dignity, and collective resilience while reducing vulnerability and isolation.

This project aims to strengthen the economic and bodily autonomy of LBQ+ women in vulnerable situations in the south and east of the Dominican Republic, particularly those affected by systemic violence linked to gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Working with participants connected to Diversidad Dominicana, it addresses key barriers such as economic dependence, limited access to sexual and reproductive health information, and restrictive social norms. Through a combination of popular and technical education, the project will deliver training on sexual and reproductive rights, gender and economic violence, and sustainable poultry farming (laying hens and free-range egg production). It will also support the creation of small enterprises and cooperatives, while raising awareness through digital and media outreach.

This project builds on data from over 500 LBTIQ+ women in Côte d’Ivoire, showing high levels of unemployment and economic insecurity, which increase exposure to violence, forced dependence, and exploitation. It expands a previous digital entrepreneurship program by combining economic empowerment, legal protection, skills training, and psychosocial support. Participants will gain digital skills (including marketing and AI), legal knowledge on labour and commercial rights, and practical training in furniture-making using recycled materials. A solidarity cooperative will enable collective income generation and mutual support. The project also integrates psychosocial wellbeing and identity affirmation through safe, community-based spaces. Overall, it aims to strengthen economic independence, reduce vulnerability to violence and exploitation, and build collective resilience among LBQ+ women.

This project delivers a second cohort of a 12-month economic empowerment program for 30 LBQ+ women entrepreneurs in the informal economy, building on lessons from a successful first cohort. Participants, working in sectors such as food, fashion, beauty, and retail, will receive integrated support through practical business training, personalized mentorship, and a revolving microloan scheme. Training will cover core skills such as pricing, bookkeeping, savings, and digital selling, followed by tailored mentorship to strengthen business performance and market access. Participants will then access collateral-free loans through a peer-guarantee model, managed transparently to ensure sustainability. Using simple monitoring tools, the project aims to improve income stability, business resilience, and financial practices, while establishing a sustainable, community-based financing mechanism.

Beyond Forced Marriage: Building Economic Independence for LBQ+ Women is a 12-month project by the Women in Innovation & Technology Initiative (WITI) in Rivers State, Nigeria. It responds to evidence that many LBQ+ women remain in forced marriage and abusive situations due to lack of income. The project will support 15 women in Rivers state and nearby areas to develop practical, market-relevant skills and transition into income-generating activities through training, mentorship, startup support, and access to opportunities. By treating economic independence as a form of protection, it aims to reduce reliance on unsafe systems and increase autonomy and safety. 

Objectives include building skills, supporting pathways to income, strengthening long-term independence, and generating evidence on prevention.