Who we are

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is a grantmaking foundation that supports local, national and regional women’s organisations working towards the empowerment of African women and the promotion and realisation of their rights .By specialising in grant-making and focused, tailored movement-building programmes, we work to strengthen and support the work of African women’s organisations.

By amplifying and celebrating African women’s voices and achievements, AWDF supports efforts that combat harmful stereotypes, and promote African women as active agents of change.

Click here to learn about AWDF USA

 

 

AWDF Team

 

Vision and mission

The vision of AWDF is to have a world where all African women live in peace, with dignity and justice and where there is equality and respect for women’s rights.

Our mission is to mobilise financial, human and material resources to support initiatives for transformation led by African women, women’s rights organisations and African women’s movements.

Values

    • Respect: We believe in the personhood of African women, and that our rights are an inalienable, indivisible and integral part of universal human rights. We listen to women and respect their knowledge, perspectives and diverse experiences. We believe in acknowledging, valuing and rewarding women’s paid and unpaid labour in private and public. We believe in women’s bodily integrity and full autonomy.
    • Diversity: We believe in non-discrimination, proactive inclusiveness and diversity in all areas of AWDF’s operations and programmes. We believe in unleashing a full range of women’s creativity and promoting holistic/total confidence in all women, and particularly with young women and women who are discriminated against in multiple and intersecting ways.
    • Feminist Leadership: We believe in nurturing feminist principles and promoting feminist leadership. We believe in investing in young women’s leadership, and promoting inter-generational transfers of skills and knowledge. We believe in creating and sustaining spaces where women can thrive and achieve their full potential, and where their voices can be amplified.
    • Professionalism, Accountability and Stewardship: We believe in the growth and long-term sustainability of organisations led and managed by women in transparent and progressive ways. As fundraisers and grant makers we believe in prudent, ethical and responsible stewardship of all funds and resources in our care. AWDF will encourage positive approaches to individual and collective physical, emotional and intellectual wellbeing and all staff, board and volunteers of AWDF will act with integrity and professionalism, promoting respectful relationships in all our dealings.
    • Solidarity and Partnerships: We believe that change happens through collective action. We are committed to building African women’s and feminist movements, and recognise that this organising is linked to movements for justice and equality across the world. Our work is linked to that of global Women’s Movements which have worked hard for gains for women, and are sustained by the voices, hands and work of women from all over the world. We work in solidarity and through multiple partnerships to dismantle discriminatory and patriarchal systems and push for transformation toward equality.

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