Author: African Women's Development Fund

Transgender Equality Uganda was founded in 2011 to advocate for equal treatment as well as creating safe spaces where transgender women’s rights are recognised, their dignity upheld and their exposure to social and economic opportunities is scaled up. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will strengthen evidence based advocacy, that will help promote the rights of the transgender women’s community, through research, lobbying, community mobilisation and awareness creation.

SFVS was founded in 2002 to create a space where the issues of women and girls survivors of violence could be addressed and where peace, respect and promotion of women’s rights prevail. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will support the effective participation of women in taking leadership in the building of peace, the fight against impunity and the pursuit of responsible governance in the province of North Kivu.

Rights not Rescue Trust (RnRT) of Namibia was founded to promote access to health, rights, education and safety for sex workers in Namibia. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will contribute to the decriminalisation of sex work in Namibia by committing to reduce violence against sex workers through a law review process to ensure that the rights of sex workers are promoted in the legal framework.

REFED was created in 1997 to build a just and harmonious Congolese society based on gender equality and the promotion of women’s leadership. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will increase women’s representation in decision making processes by lobbying political parties to support and nominate women into their leadership structures; training women to prepare for elections, mobilise and educate the community to support women in decision making processes.

Established in 1976, Rape Crisis is the oldest women’s organisation in South Africa dealing with adult rape. The Rape Crises’ work covers a spectrum of activities that include welfare services, popular education and advocacy as essential components of a well-developed theory of change. The organisation was awarded a top up grant under the Leading from the South project to enable them undertake the rape survivor’s justice campaign. The campaign is intended to hold the South African Government accountable for its promise to roll out specialised sexual offences courts across the country.

ONIDS was founded in 2013 by a group of women activists, lawyers, psychologists, journalists and doctors to promote and protect the rights of women and young people who are often overlooked and exposed to various forms of violence. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will advocate for the elimination of women’s rights abuses at the community level. The project will undertake a study on the status of the rights of girls and women in the central east region of Burkina to inform its advocacy work.

Kenya Sex Workers Alliance (KESWA) is a national not-for-profit, NGO network of sex workers led organisation in Kenya established in 2010. KESWA was established to facilitate the improvement of human rights status of all sex workers in the country. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will support the participation of sex workers’ representation at the CSW64/Beijing +25 Review processes and session.

IYWD was founded in 2009 by Glanis Changachirere as a result of her personal story as a girl child growing in rural Zimbabwe. She struggled to fund her education and experienced oppression by the state as a student leader. Hence the organisation’s focus is to mobilise and strengthen the voice and power of young women for them to thrive. The organisation was awarded a renewal grant to build on successes achieved in the first phase of the project in terms of increased political representation of women, especially young women in 4 provinces in Zimbabwe.

IDIWA was established in 2000 by women of different disability categories including physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities, on realization that Women with Disabilities (WWDs) face double discrimination on account of their gender and disability. The organisation was awarded a renewal grant to consolidate the results achieved in the first phase of the project by mobilising and empowering women and girls with disabilities (WGDs) to demand for employment opportunities, and monitor the implementation of the Mayuge District Local Government Persons with Disabilities Ordinance, 2019.

CEWIGO was formed in 2006 to mobilise women and build their capacity to influence governance at all levels and to increase awareness that where women and men share equally in the generation and maintenance of good governance, the benefits accrue to all society. With the Leading from the South grant, the organisation will advocate for equal opportunities for women in governance and political leadership in Uganda