Author: African Women's Development Fund

Gender Links was founded in 2001 by Southern African gender and media activists who identified the lack of a gender perspective in media work. Gender Links (GL) is committed to an inclusive, equal and just society in the public and private space in accordance with the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. GL was awarded a top up grant to enable the organisation enhance her knowledge management, learning, innovation and sustainability

Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) was established by women lawyers in 1992 upon their realisation that women were failing to access justice due to their inability to understand court procedures and the legal requirements which prejudiced their cases. ZWLA was therefore formed to respond to women’s practical and strategic needs through legal service provision and advocacy for laws that protect women’s rights. The organisation was awarded a renewal grant to advocate for the review of the marriage law and the passage of the Termination of pregnancy bill in Zimbabwe. Part of the funds would be used for advocating for social norm changes in project communities using community education as well as social media.

YOWLI Burundi was founded in 2011 by student leaders at the University of Burundi to create a platform of young people committed to solving the great challenges that undermine youth and society at the local, national, and international levels. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will tackle social norms that normalise the exploitation of domestic workers especially the violation of the rights of female children domestic workers and advocate for the ratification of Convention 189 on decent work for domestic workers, a convention that provides guidelines and frameworks for promoting the rights of women domestic workers.

TAM was founded in 2003 by a group of women media specialists who felt there was a severe shortage of programs and information/materials on social and feminist issues in Palestine. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will campaign for the review and redraft of the new Palestinian Constitution to take into consideration the needs and rights of women through capacity building workshops for the project coalition, an educational campaign on the constitution, awareness raising media content and the signing of a petition for a gender sensitive constitution.

The WSC was established in 1989 by a group of feminists in Palestine and works on various programs to empower women and build women’s capacities for the purpose of determining and standing up for their rights. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will support youth-focused community-based advocacy activities to fight violence against women and girls including training university students to lead the campaign and training political parties to promote peace and respect for women.

The A Project was established in 2014 to address the gaps in advocacy for reproductive justice and bodily autonomy and works toward a society where sexual and reproductive justice and mental health of women, girls, and trans* folk are reclaimed, cared for, respected, recognised in their diversities, and not used against them. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will help change social norms that inhibit the enjoyment of women’s rights by creating awareness around women’s right to their bodily integrity through the production and dissemination of knowledge products on violence against women and girls that will help deepen the conversation and bring about change.

RIFONGA-Benin was founded in 1997 to push for the promotion of democracy, the reduction of poverty and increased political representation of women in decision-making spaces in Benin. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will promote the Beninese law on the prevention of violence against women by engaging the general public in 3 communities, engaging those responsible for the implementation of the law to put measures in place for its effective application

ONG ALAFIA is a national organisation established in 1997 by a group of women concerned about the appalling living conditions of women in Togo. The organisation was formed to advocate for, and promote the rights of women, widows, and young girls. The organisation was awarded a renewal grant to monitor the effective implementation of the declaration made by Chiefs and traditional rulers in Dankpen to end inimical widowhood practices. The project will work with chiefs and also intensify education within the communities to attain the social norm change necessary for the community to adapt this change in behaviour

Mosaic was founded in 1993 to prevent and reduce abuse and violence against women by providing services for women to claim their rights, access healing and various opportunities to participate fully in society. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will push for the effective implementation of the protective order process in South Africa by training representatives of the police, the Ministries of Interior and Defence, magistrates, court clerks and other court officials as well as other NGOs and women’s groups on the laws and policies affecting protective orders.

The Gender Centre was formed by a group of women human rights activists who, in the period after the Vienna Conference on Human Rights and processes leading up to the Beijing Conference, found a gap in the availability of data to support assertions about women’s human rights issues. Gender Centre was therefore established to undertake research on gender issues, provide data for effective lobbying and policy advocacy. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will reduce the incidence of violence against women and girls by advocating for increased allocation of resources to the DOVVSU to ensure effective implementation of the law leading to an improved response to victims.