Ellas Poderosas: Historias y voces de mujeres de América Latina (Stories and voices of women from Latin America) is more than a book. It is an account of hope and resistance during one of the darkest times of modern human life. It is about resilience and the power of cooperation among women from across Latin America who, facing hardship and a crumbling support system exasperated by the Covid-19 pandemic, came together in community.  

The Ellas Generosas prize was founded in 2019 by Fondo Ellas (a Uruguay-based organisation dedicated to community philanthropy with a gender perspective), to highlight the value of women’s work for humanity. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the prize evolved to become a collector of stories from across the region, demonstrating the severity of the situation, and how women were reinventing themselves on behalf of their communities. In 2023, Fondo Ellas introduced three new categories to the prize: Community protection of the environment, Gender violence, and Sexual and reproductive rights.  

The collected work Ellas Poderosas includes stories from 21 groups of women, from 100 applications across 15 countries. The winners in each category include:  

‘In truth these prizes are a path to help the world learn about the incredible resistance of Latin American women.’