As a part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, in 2025, DAWN announced a new fellowship programme for young women feminists from the Global South. In its inaugural edition, the fellowship focuses on the Political Economy of Gender-Based Violence and Conflict, supporting a younger woman feminist with a proven commitment to women’s rights and gender justice in developing projects that deepen the understanding of how gender-based violence and conflict shape gender dynamics, thereby amplifying women’s feminist voices in public discourse.
DAWN aims to support young women feminists from the Global South in undertaking innovative projects focusing on research, advocacy, mobilisation, resistance, or creative expression and provide a platform to share their work with diverse audiences locally and internationally.
DAWN Rising Fellowship 2025
The first edition of the DAWN Rising Fellowship invited women feminists under the age of 40 from the Global South who demonstrated a strong commitment to feminist principles and methodologies. Proposals could focus on research, advocacy, mobilisation, resistance, or creative expression, and needed to align with the Political Economy of Gender-Based Violence and Conflict framework. The inaugural fellowship prioritised projects focusing on Palestine, while also welcoming applications addressing other conflict-affected areas. We were honoured to receive over 400 applications from across the Global South, reflecting an extraordinary depth of talent, creativity, and dedication to advancing feminist work in challenging contexts.
Meet the 2025 Fellow
Nour Bader
Palestine
Her project reclaims the body from cultural stigma, medical neglect, and colonial violence.
A feminist lens on breast cancer.
DAWN Rising Fellowship 2026
In its second round, the DAWN Rising Fellowship was again focused on the Political Economy of Gender-Based Violence and Conflict, supporting a younger woman feminist to develop a project that deepens understanding of how gender-based violence and conflict shape gender dynamics. The cycle considered only projects engaging with conflict-affected contexts in Sudan, Palestine, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Applications closed on 1 March 2026.
Meet the 2026 Fellow
Ruba Hassan
Palestine
Mixing research and art, her project explores how extreme violence, a structural blockade and an ongoing genocide in Gaza have radically reshaped household dynamics, forcing women into emergency breadwinning roles amid displacement and systemic destruction.
