Millions of African women dream of a day when the life of a girl-child in Africa will mean as much as the life of a boy-child. We dream of a time when women can take control over how many children they have and when they want to have them. We want women to live their lives free of fear, degradation and brutalisation. We dream of a time, when African women will not have to suffer from the effects of poverty, war, and disease. We do not want mothers and fathers to have to bury their own children, cut down in their prime by HIV/AIDS. We want to live lives free of violence in the home and in public.

This is a vision that is shared by many others. It is a vision that is expressed through many projects and activities throughout Africa, led by women, who are hoping that these dreams will be realised in their own lifetime, and one that their daughters will benefit from for generations to come. It is a vision that requires commitment, dedication, and the requisite human, material and financial resources.

At AWDF, we believe that ifwomen are empowered with skills, information, sustainable livelihoods, opportunities to fulfill their potential, and the capacity to make transformatory choices, we will have vibrant, healthy and inclusive communities. The many women-led initiatives that we fund are working on these issues every day. We need an endowment fund to invest in our own long-term sustainability. This will enable us become more independent, effective and pro-active grantmakers. In addition, an endowment campaign provides us with an opportunity to attract a new constituency of donors, from within and outside Africa, the African Diaspora, and the private sector. With significant funding of our own, we will be able to scale up our grantmaking and capacity building programs for our grantees. An investment in AWDF is an investment in African women, the builders of Africa. This is why we are calling our endowment campaign `Women Changing Africa’.