Our Impact
Community Impact
Radical Grandma Collective supports local environmental justice movements in Thailand by:
Directing resources to frontline defenders through:
Care Income payments to Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs)
Directing grant funding to local organizations including the Campaign for Public Policy on Mineral Resources (PPM) and Khon Rak Ban Kerd (KRBK)
Emergency Grant support for urgent mobilizations or unexpected needs
Supporting community restoration efforts in mine-affected communities through:
Connecting communities with research and resources on restoration efforts around the world
Supporting economic restoration using a social enterprise model applied to weaving and community-based tourism
Amplifying WHRDs’ stories and voices through:
Providing English language educational resources on environmental justice and human rights in Thailand to our global community/the broader public through our website and social media platforms
Connecting students from around the world to communities through internships, research placements, and educational programs.
Social Enterprise
Weaving builds power. The “Radical Grandmas” are a self-organized group of women who sell their handwoven scarves to fundraise for the environmental justice movement in their home village. Radical Grandma Collective’s social enterprise buys handwoven products from the group up front and resells them to our international community via our online store and in-person markets.
We truly believe that “grandma knows best,” so once we pay the weaving group for products, the grandmas have complete control over how their income is spent.
Currently, all weaving products are made in Na Nong Bong, a small village in Loei, Thailand. Our bags are part of a design collaboration with Numgunde Studio, a woman-run sewing collective in Khon Kaen, Thailand. In 2023, we hope to expand our partnership to include products made by radical women fighting for environmental justice in other Isaan communities.
Visit our shop here.
Educational Programs
Radical Grandma Collective connects high school and university students to people's movements in Thailand through unique, community-based educational programs where local leaders teach students about their experiences fighting for environmental justice. Through our programs, students complete projects based on community needs that serve the movements and allow students to apply their learning while acting in solidarity with human rights defenders.
In June 2023, Radical Grandma Collective will host students from the University of Massachusetts - Lowell in Thailand to learn about Community Restoration. For more information about this program, click here.
In June 2022, Radical Grandma Collective hosted Megan Curling (Elon University ‘23) as a part of the Lumen Prize Program. Megan spent three weeks in Na Nong Bong village in Loei, Thailand, researching KRBK’s struggle for restoration through interviews and focus groups. Megan plans to publish the stories she heard in upcoming publications.
Are you an educator or a student interested in learning with Radical Grandma Collective? Reach out to us at contact@radicalgrandmacollective.com to learn more about our educational programming.
