Introduction

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is a grant making foundation that supports local, national and regional organizations working towards the empowerment of African women and the achievement of gender equality on the continent. The vision of AWDF is for women to live in a world where there is social justice, equality and respect for women’s human rights. To this end, our mission is to mobilize and disburse financial, human and material resources to support positive transformation in Africa. We believe that If women are empowered with skills, information, sustainable livelihoods, opportunities to fulfil their potential, plus the capacity and space to make transformative choices, then we will have vibrant, healthy and inclusive communities.

To achieve its vision and mission, the African Women’s Development Fund provides grant and technical support to women’s groups and organizations in Africa working on issues in line with the following themes:

• Women’s Human Rights (WHR)
• Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods (EEL)
• Health and Reproductive Rights (HRR)
• Governance Peace and Security (GPS)
• Arts Culture and Sports (ACS) and
• HIV/AIDS

The current call is opened from 18^th June to 19th September. Applicants are to send in proposals with innovative but effective strategies to address issues relating to the specified focus areas under the various listed themes: The areas of focus are as follows:

 

Women’s Human Rights (WHR)

In the area of promoting Women’s Human Rights, priority will be given to projects that enhance

• Women and girls access to justice especially around land and property rights
• Policy engagements on women’s rights
• Addressing violence against women

Supported projects will target key populations such as indigenous women, rural women, commercial sex workers, women of different sexual identities and orientations, women with disabilities, women living with HIV/AIDS; female migrant workers; women working in quarries, mining areas, cocoa growing areas and other socially disadvantaged groups.

 

Governance, Peace & Security (GPS)

To enhance women’s participation in decision making and peace building, projects that will be supported would focus on

• Enabling women’s voices to be heard and their interest represented at all levels of decision making
• Building women’s leadership capacities
• Facilitating women’s participation in the democratic processes

 

Economic Empowerment & Livelihood (EE&L)

To increase income earning opportunities for women, projects to be supported should seek to

• Work with smallholder women farmers
• Work on climate change and food security issues
• Build micro enterprises and strengthen cooperatives

 

Health & Reproductive Rights (HRR)

In the area of HRR the proposal will seek to minimize maternal and infant mortality rates and to address some urgent health issues affecting women and girls. Projects to be supported will target;

• Improvement in maternal and child health
• Prevention of breast and cervical cancer
• Strengthening women’s voices to advocate for the implementation of National health policies
• Training and equipping traditional birth attendants
• Improve access to family planning information and services
• Promote the reproductive health and rights of women

 

Arts, Sports & Culture (AS&C)

Projects to be supported under this theme will use arts, sports and culture to help address the negative images of women, by building women’s talents and skills as well as to build their capacities to lead the advocacy for the promotion of the rights of women. The support will cover:

• The use of arts and popular culture to disseminate information on women’s rights and other key issues affecting women, to new and hard to reach audiences
• Raise the voices and profiles of women in all sectors of leadership on the continent using media such as music, films, documentaries, TV and radio productions, and national and regional film festivals.

HIV/AIDS

Projects that will be supported under this theme will be centered on:

• Fighting stigma and discrimination against women living with HIV/AIDS
• Promoting the rights of women living with HIV/AIDS
• Building the capacities of women living with HIV/AIDS to take leadership positions and to lead the advocacy for the promotion of the rights of women living with HIV/AIDS
• To facilitate the inclusion and participation of women living with HIV in decision making forums at the community, national and international levels
• Innovative HIV prevention activities and programmes
• Economic empowerment for women living with HIV

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant organisation must have been in existence for at least 3 years
• The organization must be duly registered, at least with its local government structure
• The organization must be led by a woman
• The organization must have the needed organizational structures
• The organization must have an appreciable financial management system
• The organization must be capable of reporting back on the outcomes of the project
• The organization must be highly recommended by a donor agency, a grantee or partner of AWDF or the local government office
• The applying organization must complete the necessary application forms

 

Grant Size

Eligible projects should have a budget ranging from $10,000 to $20.000.

 

Grant Period

The grant period will be for one year from the date of award.

 

Expectation

The grantee is expected to send in 2 reports. An interim report and a final comprehensive report detailing the various activities, lessons learnt and clearly defined achievements at the end of the project. The organisation must be capable of measuring the results of the project and must be able to document stories and lessons learnt for sharing with AWDF

How to apply

Interested organisations should send in their proposals to the AWDF secretariat in Accra, Ghana, using the required grant applications guidelines which include a financial management assessment form.

For more information, please visit the following links:

AWDF Grant Application Guideline

Financial Management Assessment Questionnaire

Framework for Measuring Outcomes

 

The African Women’s Development Fund

Office: Plot 78 Ambassadorial Enclave, East Legon

Post: P.M.B CT 89 Cantonments, Accra, Ghana

Email: awdf@africlub.net/awdf; grants@africlub.net/awdf

Website: www.africlub.net/awdf

Tel : + 233 289669666

 

NOTE: Please note that this is a very competitive process and it is only organizations with innovative but effective strategies who will be supported. Again, organizations must clearly demonstrate their ability to communicate their achievements.