organisation
Promundo, whose name means “for the world,” was founded in 1997 in Brazil with the belief that gender equality is a social “good” for the world, and that overcoming gender inequalities and patriarchy and advancing gender equality is necessary for women, men, and individuals of all gender identities. Promundo was born out of a confluence of partner nongovernmental organisations and individual activists and researchers working across the fields of women’s rights, health equity, LGBTQIA+ activism, children’s rights, and the HIV and AIDS prevention movement in Brazil. Today, Promundo is a global consortium with member organisations in the United States, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Portugal, and Chile. After opening their office in Brazil, they subsequently opened independent offices in the United States (2011), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2014), Portugal (2014). In 2019, the Chilean nongovernmental organisation CulturaSalud joined the consortium after many years of partnering with Promundo and of being a co-author of many of our approaches.
Promundo emerged in a specific moment in a Global South setting – Brazil – a country that faced a history of colonisation, ethnic-based oppression, homophobia, transphobia, women’s inequality, and two decades of military dictatorship. From its origins, Promundo carried a firm belief in Paulo Freire’s approach of consciousness-raising about global and local systems of inequality and oppression as well as a grounding in social justice and intersectionality. Since its founding, Promundo has worked in collaboration with partners to advance gender equality and prevent violence in over 55 countries around the world through high-impact research and evaluation, targeted advocacy efforts, and evidence-based educational and community-wide program implementation.
