Africa

Group of people dancing outside
Courtesy of ArtGlo (Malawi)

Table of Contents:

 

Multi-country initiatives

  • Cameroon and Central African Republic - Nouveaux Droits de l'Homme - Initiative Title: Strengthening Women's Rights and Feminist Movements to End Violence Against Women and Girls - ACT 

In Cameroon and the Central African Republic, gender-based violence is a critical issue, with 65% of women and girls experiencing multiple forms of violence. Approximately 130 feminicide cases were recorded between 2019 and 2022 in Cameroon, and the Central African Republic ranks third globally in feminicide rates. 

Nouveaux Droits de l'Homme has been at the forefront of advocating for women's rights and providing critical support services. Their initiative aims to strengthen women's rights movements across Central Africa by uniting 40 organizations in a regional coalition, focusing on eliminating feminicides, sexual violence, and harassment in both private and public spheres, including emerging cyber-violence. 

The initiative employs key strategies, including: (1) Creating sustainable networks of women's rights organizations; (2) Building technical and institutional capacity through training in monitoring, documentation, and advocacy; (3) Producing evidence-based research and monitoring reports; (4) Conducting coordinated advocacy at national and regional levels; and (5) Running digital awareness campaigns.  

Ultimately, this initiative seeks to create a safer environment for marginalized women and girls, including those with disabilities, internally displaced women, and survivors of violence. Through strengthened regional collaboration between Cameroon and the Central African Republic, the project aims to transform patriarchal systems and structures by engaging decision-makers, developing enhanced policies, and building coordinated responses to gender-based violence. 

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia - Dynamique des Femmes Juristes (DFJ) and GENFAMI - Initiative Title: Strengthening Women-Led Organizations to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America - ACT 

In the Republic of the Congo and Colombia, women and girls face high rates of violence, particularly in crisis contexts where institutional responses remain limited. Women-led organizations serve as crucial frontline defenders against gender-based violence, yet their impact is constrained by insufficient resources and coordination gaps, while their organizational potential remains not fully realized. 

The initiative, led by DFJ and GENFAMI, will strengthen a trans-regional feminist movement connecting Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Building on successful "Voices and Leadership" and "Call to Action" programmes, the project will enhance the collective power of 40 women's organizations through an innovative capacity-building model to amplify collective power, transform patriarchal norms, and enhance organizational resilience. The approach focuses on three pillars: knowledge power, network power, and narrative power. 

Key strategies include: (1) Creating a flexible and replicable training model to strengthen technical and organizational capacities; (2) Creating an inclusive knowledge-sharing platform for documenting and exchanging best practices ; (3) Building a sustainable trans-regional network for collaborative advocacy and support ; (4) Enhancing the narrative power of women-led organizations to influence social norms and policies; (5) Leveraging digital tools for inclusive and multilingual engagement. 

By fostering stronger feminist movements and enhancing organizational resilience, the initiative aims to advance more effective, coordinated responses to gender-based violence while amplifying women's collective voice in decision-making spaces. 

  • Nigeria and Kenya - Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) - Initiative Title: Strengthening Feminist Movements to Combat Emerging Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa - ACT 

In Nigeria and Kenya, women and girls face high levels of violence, including new and emerging forms of violence against women and girls (VAW/G). Marginalized groups, including young women, ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities, are at particular risk due to intersecting layers of discrimination. Additionally, the digital space is increasingly becoming a platform for technology-facilitated violence, exacerbating these risks. Despite these challenges, feminist movements in the region have a proven capacity for advocacy and empowerment, though gaps in intergenerational collaboration, digital security awareness, and inclusivity persist. 

The Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) is spearheading an initiative to address these issues by enhancing the resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability of feminist movements with 1500 women and girls. The initiative focuses on building collective power, empowering marginalized groups, and fostering intergenerational collaboration. The goal is to strengthen feminist networks to effectively combat all forms of VAW/G with a particular focus on tech-facilitated violence while advocating for legislative reforms and policy changes. 

The initiative employs key strategies, including: (1) Advocacy campaigns targeting policymakers to advance comprehensive legal protections; (2) Intergenerational dialogue forums to bridge knowledge gaps between older and younger feminists; (3) Digital security training to enhance online safety for women and girls; (4) Capacity-building programs tailored for marginalized communities, promoting inclusivity within feminist movements; (5) Community-wide awareness campaigns to shift norms and mobilize support against VAW/G; (6) Conducting exploratory research on the effects of tech-facilitated violence on adolescent girls. 

  • Eastern Africa - International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) - Initiative Title: Ending New and Evolving Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls Living with HIV in Eastern Africa – ACT 

In Eastern Africa, women and girls living with HIV face increasing violence and discrimination, including forced disclosure of HIV status, denial of essential treatments like antiretroviral therapy (ART), and coerced medical procedures. These forms of violence are exacerbated by entrenched gender norms, systemic stigmatization, and inadequate legal protections. Despite these challenges, there are limited programs focused on this specific intersection of gender-based violence and HIV, which leaves women at risk from violence and prevents them from accessing vital services. 

The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) is a regional women’s rights organization committed to advocating for the rights of women living with HIV. This initiative is designed to support women and girls living with HIV in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, by addressing the new and evolving forms of violence they face. The initiative’s goal is to o strengthen the collective power, resilience, and impact of the regional movement of Women living with HIV to end violence against women living with HIV in Eastern Africa.  

The initiative employs several impactful strategies: (1) Conducting research on the new and evolving forms of violence against women and girls living with HIV; (2) Strengthening the capacity of regional women’s networks to advocate for women’s rights; (3) Engaging policymakers to raise awareness and implement changes to laws affecting women living with HIV; (5) Empowering young women advocates through leadership development; (6) facilitating cross-regional learning exchanges and opportunities to strategize collectively. 

  • Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda - Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) - Initiative Title: Empowering Women and Girls with Disabilities to Lead in the Fight Against Violence – ACT 

In Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda, women and girls with disabilities face profound challenges due to the intersection of gender and disability, which often leaves them excluded from both leadership roles and policy discussions on violence against women and girls (VAWG). These women experience higher rates of physical, psychological, and sexual violence and are frequently denied access to essential services and opportunities for advocacy. As a result, they remain largely invisible in efforts to combat gender-based violence. 

The Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) is a women’s rights organization committed to the empowerment of women and girls with disabilities. With a focus on leadership and advocacy, the organization aims to support over 120 women and girls across Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda, enabling them to take on active roles in addressing VAWG. This initiative seeks to increase the participation of women and girls with disabilities in feminist and women’s rights movements, advocate for their rights, and ensure their needs are included in legal and policy frameworks. 

The initiative employs several impactful strategies: (1) Organizing leadership and capacity-building workshops focused on EVAWG; (2) Facilitating mentorship programs to strengthen advocacy skills; (3) Establishing regional networks for knowledge-sharing and collective action; (4) Conducting research on the intersectionality of disability and VAWG; (5) Advocating for policy change to ensure the inclusion of women with disabilities in national and international VAWG discussions. 

  • Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia - Raising Voices - Initiative Title: Learning from Practice: Strengthening a VAW Prevention Movement within the GBV Prevention Network - ACT 

Across Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia, violence against women and girls remains a pervasive human rights violation.

Raising Voices is a women’s rights organization dedicated to transforming unequal power relationships and ending violence against women (VAW) and children through technical support, awareness-raising and concerted action. This initiative aims to strengthen the collective power and movement building efforts led by the Gender-Based Violence Prevention Network established across 20 African countries, by creating supportive, shared and safe spaces for feminist activists, developing regional solidarity, emphasizing self and collective care, and producing practice-based knowledge. 

The initiative employs several impactful strategies: (1) Organizing sessions across five countries to foster exchange experiences on VAW and build a collective prevention agenda; (2) Fostering partnerships with key and under-resourced feminist organizations to develop collective advocacy actions and campaigns with a specific focus on self and collective care; (3) Producing accessible practice-based learning products with key insights on feminist movement building to prevent VAW. 

  • Central African Republic & South Sudan - Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation - Project title: Strengthening survivor leadership and resilience to end violence against women and girls through survivor-led networks – Cycle 26

Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) against women and girls is widespread and systematic throughout the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan. Sexual violence is being used as a tactic of war, compounding and exacerbating protracted humanitarian and economic crises. Survivors face obstacles to accessing essential services and the justice system as well as threats of retaliation.

Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation is a women-led international civil society organization dedicated to protecting and empowering survivors as well as tackling the culture of impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators. The project aims to empower two CRSV survivor-led networks – Le Mouvement des Survivantes des Violences Sexuelles en Centrafrique (the Movement of Survivors of Sexual Violence in the Central African Republic – MOSUCA) in CAR and The Survivors Network of South Sudan (SUNS) in South Sudan – with enhanced capacities, resources and organizational resilience so they can participate in initiatives to end CRSV, provide comprehensive services to survivors, and decrease the stigmatization of survivors in the target communities. 

Project activities include: (1) providing mental health, psychological and livelihood support to MOSUCA and SUNS members; (2) providing organizational resources to survivor networks to strengthen their organizational resilience and coherence; (3) supporting learning, knowledge and experience exchanges with other survivor-led networks ; and (4) enhance survivors’ capacities to identify and refer survivors to services

Cameroon

  • Libra Association For Widows - Project title: Inclusive approach to prevent and combat violence against women and girls in the context of crisis in Cameroon – Cycle 26 

In Cameroon, ongoing socio-political conflicts and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in internal displacement on a mass scale, exposing vast numbers of women and girls to heightened risks of violence at a time when specialist services have been disrupted in the most affected localities.

Libra Association for Widows is a women-led women’s rights organization dedicated to promoting women’s rights and ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls (VAW/G). The project aims to prevent and end VAW/G, including internally displaced women and girls as well as those living with disabilities, in six conflict-affected regions in Cameroon. It will be implemented with three partner organizations – Central African Human Rights Defenders Network (REDHAC), Cameroon Bar Association Human Rights Commission, and Global Voices for Women. 

Project activities include: (1) providing specialized services, including psycho-social and legal support, business training and financial assistance to women and girl survivors of violence;

(2) awareness-raising on VAW/G prevention and response mechanisms in a crisis context; (3) training service providers, legal and governmental officials, police officers and traditional leaders on VAW/G in a crisis context and implementing survivor-centred response mechanisms;(4) establishing self-help groups and multi-stakeholder feminist networks to foster peer-to-peer learning and collective advocacy to end VAW/G; and (5) strengthening organizational resilience. 

  • Association pour la Valorisation de la Femme (AVAF – Association for the Valorization of the Woman) - Project Title: Response to gender-based violence: involvement of local authorities and community leaders – Cycle 25

In Cameroon, where homosexuality is criminalized, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people have been experiencing increased violence and discrimination, particularly LGBTQI rights defenders. This form of violence has been exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

AVAF is dedicated to safeguarding the rights of women and girls, especially those in marginalized communities, including LBQ women as well as women and girls living with disabilities. 

The project aims to empower LBQ women and girl survivors or at risk of violence with the knowledge and skills to identify and report cases of violence against women in the South, East, West, littoral and Central regions of Cameroon.  

Project strategies include: (1) providing psychological and referral services; (2) organizing community sessions on self-esteem and leadership development; (3) implementing media campaigns, community mobilization and awareness raising in communities; (4) training LBQ women’s organizations on gender responsive advocacy techniques; (5) adapting psychological services for women survivors of violence; (6) organizing workshops for partner organizations; and (7) creating a national multisectoral task force to advocate for the protection, monitoring and support of women survivors of violence, including LBQ women.  

  • Leap Girl Africa - Project Title: Unite for a Better Life Cameroon: Adapting an Evidence-Based Community-Driven Intervention to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence – Cycle 25

Intimate partner violence is a major challenge worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In Cameroon, data from the 2021 Demographic and Health Survey indicates that 55% of women have experienced physical violence, most from intimate partners but also from family members, since they were 15 years old. Conflicts, displacement and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased risks for women and girls. 

Leap Girl is a young, women-led organization aimed at advancing girls and young women’s rights and education by preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence, improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, and using technology to improve access to education.  

The project aims to focus on local residents and internally displaced people in 30 communities.  

Project strategies include: (1) leveraging Leap Girl’s experience in delivering evidence-based community-driven intervention to prevent and address intimate partner violence with the “Unite for a Better Life” gender-transformative curriculum, adapted to the Cameroonian context; (2) implementing the project through in-person discussions led by community facilitators involving men and women and through listening sessions of podcast episodes in a safe space; (3) changing attitudes and norms that perpetuate violence; (4) increasing knowledge about intimate partner violence; and (5) improving couples’ communication and behaviour. 

  • Women in Action against Gender Based Violence Cameroon - Project Title: Improving access for Indigenous Mbororo women and girls to essential, safe and multi-sectoral services to end VAW/G within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the armed conflict in NW and SW Cameroon – Cycle 24

Women in Action against Gender Based Violence Cameroon intends to increase the number of Mbororo women and girls who can access multi-sectoral services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women belonging to the indigenous pastoralist Mbororo people are especially at risk of violence because of the intersecting discrimination and exclusion they face, and patriarchal norms.

The project intends to reach about 12,000 Mbororo women and girls belonging to 13 councils of the North West Region with the highest concentrations of indigenous Mbororo pastoralists and 2 councils in the West Region with the highest number of Mbororo internally displaced persons (IDPs). The project will be co-implemented with the Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association and the Association for the Welfare of Women and Indigenous People. The former will sensitize service providers on the situation of Mbororo pastoralist communities and provide paralegal workers to collect data and identify and refer Mbororo women and girl survivors of violence or those at risk. The latter will help mobilize Mbororo women and girls for project activities and provide community facilitators to collect data, engage with community sensitization and identification, and help with the referral of Mbororo women and girl survivors to services.

Project strategies include: (1) data collection on violence against women and girls in Mbororo communities; (2) raising awareness among key stakeholders on the situation of Mbororo women and girls; (3) improving access to information related to services for Mbororo communities; and (4) building the capacity of service providers to identify and reach Mbororo women and girls who have survived or are at risk of violence.

Democratic Republic of Congo

  • Solidarité féminine pour la paix et le développement intégral (SOFEPADI – Female solidarity for peace and integral development) - Project Title: Improve internally displaced women’s and girls’ access to multisectoral gender-based violence services in the reception and return areas of North Kivu – Cycle 25

Due to armed conflict and natural disasters, the Democratic Republic of Congo now hosts around 5 million internally displaced people, just over half of them women, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in 2021. These women face heightened risk of violence, especially sexual violence. 

SOFEPADI is a women-led organization focused on promoting the rights of women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It works to combat gender-based violence through community mobilization, comprehensive services, and strengthening women’s and girls’ autonomy and representation in decision-making bodies. 

In 18 areas of Beni, Kalunguta, Vuhovi, Kayna, Nyiragongo and Masisi in North Kivu, the project will work to improve access to quality, comprehensive and specialist services for internally displaced women and girl survivors of violence; Indigenous women and girls; women and girls living with disabilities; and women and girls with low incomes.  

The project will: (1) support 18 health centres and six safe spaces; (2) raise the awareness of marginalized women and girls about gender-based violence and available services; (3) mobilize communities on gender-based violence, using an integrated, survivor-centred approach; and (4) economically empower marginalized women and girls. 

Ethiopia

  • Empathy for Life Integrated Development Association (ELiDA) - Project title: Integrated prevention and response to violence against women and girls in North Wollo, Amhara region, Ethiopia – Cycle 26

An estimated 5.7 million people need humanitarian assistance as a result of armed conflict in the Tigray, Ahmara and Afar regions of Ethiopia that began in November 2020. The UN Human Rights Council has expressed grave concern about conflict-related violence against women and girls (VAW/G), which is reported to have increased substantially.

Empathy for Life Integrated Development Association (ELiDA) is a women-led women’s rights organization working to promote human’s rights and empower women, girls and youth. Applying the SASA! approach for community mobilization, the project aims to reduce the incidence of VAW/G and support survivors of violence in Amhara region. The project will be implemented in collaboration with Christian Aid Ethiopia. 

Project activities include: (1) creating context-appropriate referral pathways for women and girl survivors of violence; (2) establishing self-help groups for women and girl survivors or at risk of violence that provide training and financial support to encourage income-generating activities; (3) establishing community action groups, and youth and school clubs, to facilitate peer-to-peer learning on VAW/G prevention and response mechanisms; (4) training social workers, health and legal service providers, and governmental officials on VAW/G prevention and survivor-centred response mechanisms; and (5) awareness-raising on VAW/G prevention and response mechanisms, including through radio programmes. 

Ghana

  • Songtaba - Initiative Title: Gender Rights and Empowerment Project (G-REP) - Cycle 27 

In rural northern and coastal Ghana, vulnerable women and young girls, particularly those accused of witchcraft and facing high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV), encounter severe discrimination and violence. The 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey highlighted that 53.4% of women in the Savannah Region have experienced IPV, making it the highest rate in the country. 

Songtaba, a dedicated women's rights organization, actively works to empower marginalized women in Ghana. Their localized approach, rooted in community engagement equips 2,510 women to address deeply ingrained cultural issues and effectively promote gender equality. This initiative fosters a safer and more equitable Ghana, empowering women and girls to reclaim their rights and dismantle societal norms that perpetuate violence against them. 

The initiative incorporates key strategies, including: (1) Creating multi-sectoral one-stop centers for comprehensive support including legal aid, healthcare and psychosocial; (2) Building capacity of service providers to deliver survivor centered services; (3) Conducting community workshops and awareness campaigns to educate communities about witchcraft accusations and IPV; (4) Collaborating with traditional and religious leaders to dismantle harmful cultural practices; (5) Advocating for legal and policy reforms, such as the Anti-Witchcraft Bill and the Domestic Violence Act; and (6) Building economic resilience of GBV survivors through vocational trainings, income generating activities and local businesses to facilitate employment of survivors.

Kenya

  • Maisha Girls Safe House - Project title: Safe and Thriving Survivors – Cycle 26

In Kenya, despite positive government action to prevent and end violence against women and girls (VAW/G), 47% of women aged 15 years and older have been subjected to some form of physical, sexual and/or psychological violence by an intimate partner in the previous year.

Maisha Girls Safe House (MGSH) is a constituent-led women’s rights organization committed to protecting girls and young women from sexual violence and abuse.  The project aims to empower girls and young women survivors or at risk of violence and to provide them with access to comprehensive specialist services in the sub-counties of Makadara and Kamukunji in Kenya. 

Project activities include: (1) providing comprehensive specialist services to girls and young women survivors of violence, including shelter in MGSH’s safe house; (2) training survivors so they can engage in income-generating activities; (3) establishing community safe spaces for girls and young women at risk or survivors of violence to receive monthly empowerment sessions; (4) multi-stakeholder forums and meetings of survivors, service providers, government officials and police officers to foster peer-to-peer learning and collective advocacy to end the violence; and (5) awareness-raising on violence prevention and response mechanisms, including through community plays and local media programmes. 

  • Physicians for Human Rights – Kenya - Project Title: Enhancing Sexual Violence Response in Kenya During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Cycle 24

In Kenya, survivors of sexual violence often have to overcome hurdles to seek medical care and forensic evidence is collected, sexual violence cases that make it to court often fail because of insufficient evidence. The project of the Physicians for Human Rights ­– Kenya aims to ensure that many more women and girl survivors of sexual violence have access to medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, including forensic documentation services, to ensure that evidence is available to drive investigations and prosecutions, creating pathways to justice for survivors. The project will reach more than 17,000 women and girls who have survived violence as well as government officials, healthcare workers, legal professionals and law enforcement agents.

The project intends to: (1) enhance the capacity of local health, legal and law enforcement professionals to collect, document and preserve forensic evidence of sexual violence and investigate these crimes, including by developing virtual platforms for cooperation across sectors to support prosecutions during the pandemic; and (2) catalyse systemic change in survivor-centred sexual violence response and prevention by promoting best practices through institutional capacity development, network mobilization and advocacy.

Liberia

  • Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia - Project title: Liberia Fights FGM - Cycle 26

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Despite some legislative progress, female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) remains widespread in Liberia, carried out by traditional leaders (zoes)as a rite of passage into womanhood. According to World Bank data for 2020, an estimated 31.8% of women and girls are living with the consequences of this harmful practice and many more are at risk.

Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia is a women-led women’s rights organizations dedicated to promoting women’s rights and empowering women and girls. The project aims to support and protect women and girl survivors or at risk of FGM/C, including Indigenous women and girls and those living in the lowest income group, and to empower citizens, community-leaders, and lawmakers to advocate for the adoption of a law to end FGM/C in six counties in Liberia. The project will be implemented in collaboration with Sister's Hand Liberia. 

Project activities include: (1) providing health and psychosocial services to women and girl survivors of FGM/C; (2) providing support and livelihood skills to zoes so they can engage in different income-generating activities; (3) training service providers and community leaders on FGM/C prevention and referral mechanisms; (4) establishing in the targeted counties “Stop FGM/C” coalitions involving members of Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia’s network, service providers, faith-based leaders, and legal and government officials; and (5) awareness-raising on FGM/C prevention and referral mechanisms.  

Madagascar

  • End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT) France - Project Title: MIRA (Mobilize for equity and encourage women and girls to claim their autonomy) - Cycle 25

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In Madagascar, violence against women and girls, including rape and other forms of gender-based violence, is tragically common. ECPAT France is part of the ECPAT International network that is dedicated to promoting children’s right to live free of violence, including sexual exploitation. It works to reinforce protection systems and rehabilitate young survivors of sexual violence, mostly girls. The project aims to protect Malagasy women and girl survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation as well as women human rights defenders, including self-identified sex workers, in six regions of Madagascar.  

The project will: (1) implement a psychological and socio-economic rehabilitation programme for girl survivors of sexual exploitation and improve protection services and survivors’ access to them; (2) focus on preventing violence against women and girls by raising awareness of various stakeholders to change attitudes and increase reporting of violence; and (3) improve access to justice and popularize laws on gender-based violence. 

This project is a scale-up of ECPAT France’s previous MIRA project, funded by the UN Trust Fund in 2016. 

Nigeria

  • Centre for Women’s Health and Information - Project title: Strengthening existing VAWG/SGBV prevention and response structure for women and girls with disabilities in Lagos and Osun State (Project Hope) - Cycle 26

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Despite the 2015 Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, violence against women and girls has continued to increase in crisis-affected Nigeria. A 2021 UN Women report revealed that nearly half of all Nigerian women had experienced at least one form of violence since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with those living with disabilities twice as likely to face domestic or sexual abuse than women and girls without a disability. 

Centre for Women’s Health and Information is a women-led women’s rights organization dedicated to empowering women and girls in Nigeria. The project aims to ensure access to comprehensive specialist services for women and girls living with disabilities who are survivors or at risk of violence, and tackle the culture of impunity associated with such violence, in Lagos and Ogun States in Nigeria. 

Project activities include: (1) training women and girls living with disabilities to serve as community-based psychosocial first aid providers; (2) capacity-building workshops for key stakeholders, including legal service providers and government officials, on prevention of violence against women and girls living with disabilities (VAWGWD) and response mechanisms;(3) establishing ending VAWGWD response groups; (4) awareness-raising on VAWGWD prevention and referral mechanisms; and (5) developing and implementing guidance documents, including an action and sustainability plan, on ending VAWGWD in Lagos and Osun States. 

  • Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative - Project title: Together We Can – Cycle 26

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In Nigeria, ongoing socio-political conflicts, catastrophic flooding and the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered massive humanitarian needs as well as increased violence against women and girls (VAW/G), particularly those in Indigenous communities and those who are internally displaced. 

Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative is a constituent-led women’s rights organization that makes multisectoral interventions to empower women and girls. The project aims to provide comprehensive specialist support and economic empowerment opportunities to women and girls at risk or survivors of violence, including Indigenous women and girls and those who are refugees or internally displaced, in the context of the protracted conflict in Kaduna State in Nigeria. 

Project activities include: (1) providing comprehensive services to women and girl survivors of VAW/G, including psychosocial support and counselling; (2) providing capacity-building and empowerment-focused activities to survivors; (3) multi-stakeholder meetings and training of community health service providers on VAW/G prevention and response mechanisms to foster peer-to-peer learning and collective advocacy to end VAW/G; (4) capacity-building activities and seminars for men and boys on women’s rights and VAW/G prevention; and (5) awareness-raising on VAW/G prevention and referral mechanisms, including community mobilization activities and advocacy campaigns. 

In 2019, Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative received a grant from the UN Trust Fund to implement a project focusing on preventing and responding to VAW/G in two semi-urban communities: Ungwan Dosa in Kaduna North and Ungwan Romi in Kaduna South.  

  • Circuit Pointe Charity Organization - Project Title: Break the cycle: end VAWG – Cycle 25

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Despite the 2015 Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, violence against women and girls has continued to increase in Nigeria. In 2021, a UN Women report revealed that nearly half of Nigerian women had experienced at least one form of violence since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indigenous women and girls living in Southeast region face heightened risk of violence, including female genital mutilation, due to extreme poverty and cultural beliefs, norms and attitudes that allow gender-based violence and restrict sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

Circuit Pointe, which is locally governed and involves community-led social change interventions, operates in South East region, where sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation are deeply rooted. It works to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights; end violence against women and girls; and promote economic empowerment.  

The project aims to: (1) accelerate zero tolerance for violence against women girls and female genital mutilation/cutting in Imo and Ebonyi States through empowering community structures to take action; and (2) integrate local networks monitoring violence against women and girls in 16 communities. 

  • Greater Women Initiative for Health and Right (GWIHR) - Project Title: Fore fronting our agenda – strengthening the gender-based violence response for sex workers – Cycle 25

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In Nigeria, female and transgender self-identified sex workers face stigma and discrimination as sex work is punishable by law. This has further marginalized them and prevented them from accessing essential services. 

GWIHR, a community-based organization primarily constituent-led and comprising of self-identified sex workers, works to uphold the rights of their constituents by promoting their access to justice and comprehensive health-care services and creating an enabling environment where women and girls can thrive. 

The project will be community-driven and aiming to reach 3,000 self-identified female and transgender sex workers aged 15-35 who have limited access to justice and services in Rivers State.  

The project aims to: (1) foster police accountability by raising awareness; (2) advocate for reforms of harmful legislation; (3) provide clinical care and legal services to survivors of violence; (4) establish safe spaces and emergency shelters; (5) increase the number of cases filed against perpetrators; and (6) change the behaviour and policies that discriminate against sex workers. 

  • Tabitha Cumi Foundation - Project Title: Flashlight Actions On Girls Safety – Cycle 24

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Tabitha Cumi Foundation, a faith-based organization, will address family violence – physical, sexual and psychological and emotional violence, as well as violence against girls – in the context of COVID-19. Its project will be implemented in 10 communities in three states in North Central NigeriaIt intends to: create safe spaces for adolescent girls to learn, speak out and share experiences; mobilize community support for behavioural change to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence; and create an accessible, virtual case management hub for survivors of violence. The project aims to reach 550 adolescent girls aged 10-19, including 200 survivors of violence.

Project strategies include: (1) a gender needs assessment to understand the specific factors affecting violence against girls; (2) creating safe discussion spaces for adolescent girls for learning, psycho-social support, experience-sharing, and breaking the culture of silence; (3) clustering communities to create easy access to multi-sectoral services coordinated by a trained health worker or gender advocate; (4) establishing a one-stop virtual case management hub and facilitating access to information through a call centre for counselling and referrals; (5) training relevant stakeholders; and (6) community sensitization of faith and traditional leaders, as well as men and boys, about the consequences of violence against women and girls.

  • Sexual Offences Awareness & Response Initiative - Project Title: Strengthening Communities-in-emergencies to address sexual based violence against girls, within the COVID-19 pandemic context, in North Central Nigeria – Cycle 24

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Women and children in Benue State living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) are often subjected to high rates of sexual violence. During the COVID-19 lockdown, interventions to address violence against women stopped in the camps.

Sexual Offences Awareness & Response Initiative (SOAR) is a small, girl-focused organization. Its project plans to support more than 2,000 displaced girls who are living in four IDP camps and host communities in Benue State, as well as teachers, members and leaders of community groups, men and boys. The project aims to strengthen local child protection mechanisms in IDP camps and host communities; enhance in-school and out-of-school girls’ protection from sexual-based violence and their ability to respond to violence. . SOAR intends to base its work on a previously implemented project funded by the UN Trust Fund. By the end of the project it is envisaged that community-based mechanisms will be developed where they do not exist, and strengthened where they do exist, to address sexual-based violence against girls in IDP camps and host communities.

The project will: (1) empower girls to determine how sexual-based violence manifests itself during emergencies and decide what should be done; (2) empower out-of-school girls in IDP camps and informal settlements through training by community female volunteers; (3) strengthen Community Child Protection Committees to develop home-grown plans against sexual-based violence against girls; (4) provide improved technology for response mechanisms; and increase the capacities of local peer leaders, particularly men and boys, to raise awareness about negative socio-cultural norms and support survivors of sexual-based violence.

  • Women United for Economic Empowerment - Project Title: Improved action to end violence against women and girls in Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers States, Nigeria – Cycle 24

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The COVID-19 lockdown triggered a rise in gender-based violence and exposed challenges faced by institutions and organizations to meaningfully address and respond to the violence.

Women United for Economic Empowerment plans to support local communities to prevent and address gender-based violence sustainably, empowering rural Nigerian women to access services and justice institutions, and enjoy improved safety, health, well-being and economic opportunities. The project will be rolled out in eight communities in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, aiming to reach 2,100 women and girls in general, 300 women and girls living with HIV/AIDS, and 300 women and girl survivors of violence. In addition, 2,500 members of community-based groups, faith-based organizations and the general public, as well as men, boys and uniformed personnel, will be engaged.

The project’s strategies include: (1) advocacy with key stakeholders to address cultural barriers affecting violence against women and girls; (2) establishing community action committees and training community-based gender champions to tackle violence against women and girls; (3) providing women and girls who have survived or are at risk of violence with access to toll-free helplines, online counselling and a social support network; and (4) establishing village “seed capital” programmes for economic empowerment to help survivors of violence.

Rwanda

  • Association des Veuves du Genocide Agahozo (AVEGA Agahozo – Association of Widows of Genocide) - Project Title: Leveraging health care settings to deliver comprehensive gender-based violence services in Rwanda – Cycle 25

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​During the 1994 Rwanda genocide, 100,000-250,000 women were raped, according to UN estimates, with rape being used as a weapon of war. Many women contracted HIV as a result of rape, and many women were widowed during the genocide. AVEGA, a women’s rights organization, works to foster social justice for the widows and for women, children and families affected by the conflict. The project, which will be implemented in seven districts of Rwanda, aims to improve multisectoral services, in particular health services, and to protect the rights, economic independence and well-being of women and girl survivors of gender-based violence, especially those facing intersecting forms of violence. 

Project strategies include: (1) supporting provision of survivor-centred information and services for survivors, including health services; (2) creating safe spaces for survivors to learn, share experiences and receive peer support; (3) using peer education to promote positive behaviours and empowerment; (4) preventing and responding to intersectional violence through economic empowerment and improved leadership skills; (5) using the SASA! methodology to engage men and boys and address negative social and gender norms that perpetuate gender-based violence; (6) establishing a referral mechanism for survivors seeking services; and (7) engaging district and central level duty bearers in preventing and responding to gender-based violence.

Somalia

  • Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) - Project Title: We Have Rights: Protecting IDP and Minority Women and Girls from SGBV in South Central Somalia and Somaliland – Cycle 25

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Sexual violence is pervasive in Somalia and disproportionately affects women and girls in internally displaced communities and minority communities. In 2020, according to UN reports, 400 civilians, primarily girls, were raped or subjected to other forms of sexual violence. Food insecurity, conflicts and displacement, drought and the COVID-19 crises have exacerbated all forms of violence against women and girls. 

SIHA is a women’s rights organization and regional network of grassroots civil society organizations dedicated to promoting the rights and empowerment of women and girls in the Horn of Africa.  

The project will be implemented in informal settlements in Southwest Somalia and Somaliland, where the prevalence of violence against women and girls is high, and will be carried out in partnership with two of SIHA’s member organizations (Women’s Action Advocacy Progress Organization and Somali Women Development Centre) in collaboration with other civil society organizations. The project will focus on the protection needs of internally displaced and minority women.  

Project strategies include: (1) building evidence to support advocacy; (2) raising the visibility of the specific challenges faced by internally displaced and minority women to garner public support for reform; (3) developing the capacity of civil society organizations and marginalized women and girls to engage in collective action; and (4) coordinating advocacy campaigns for the adoption of laws on sexual offences that comply with international human rights standards. 

In 2018, the UN Trust Fund also funded a SIHA-implemented project in South Sudan that focused on addressing sexual violence against young women and girls in humanitarian context. 

South Africa

  • Lesedi la Batho - Project Title: Building Towards a GBV Free Community – Cycle 24

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Mabopane, home to around 111,000 people, is a marginalized, industrialized township in Tshwane, Gauteng province, South Africa. COVID-19 lockdown measures have devastated its economy and exacerbated risk factors for violence against women and girls, including poverty, food insecurity, increased alcohol and drug abuse, and isolation of large families in small homes.

Lesedi la Batho is a small, women-led, faith-based organization in Mabopane that seeks to inspire, empower, engage and equip the youth and community at large through sport, education, skills training, arts and other activities. Its project aims to work with 1,800 women and girls – including survivors of violence and girls and boys in schools – to reduce gender-based violence in Mabopane and surrounding communities and improve services for survivors.

The project’s strategies include: (1) education and raising awareness about gender-based violence among school students, community leaders and community members at large; (2) improving the quality of and access to support services for survivors through counselling, referral and facilitating transport; (3) establishing women’s support groups; and (4) empowering women to become financially independent through training, job placement and an entrepreneurship hub.

South Sudan

  • Women for Women International - Project title: Women Empowered against Violence – Cycle 26

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Half of South Sudanese women are married before they are 18 and the country has the highest maternal mortality rate globally, according to a recent paper of Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan to the UN Human Rights Council. Ongoing conflict and climate change-related disasters have put women and girls at even higher risk of violence, and sexual violence has been instrumentalized as a reward and entitlement for men participating in conflict.

Women for Women International is a women-led women’s rights international organization working in conflict- and war-affected countries to support and empower women and girls most at risk of marginalization to improve their health, wellbeing, and socio-economic situation by connecting them to support networks. This project aims to prevent violence against women and girls (VAW/G) by protecting and empowering those at risk or survivors of violence, including refugee and internally displaced women and girls, and by transforming the community’s behaviours, practices and attitudes, in the counties of Yei, Juba and Terekeka in South Sudan. The project will be implemented with two partner organizations: Women for Change and South Sudan Law Society (SSLS). 

Project activities include: (1) providing psychological and legal support and implementing social empowerment and entrepreneurship programmes for women and girls at risk or survivors of violence; (2) training women change agents’ cohorts to foster peer-to-peer learning and develop and implement community action plans against VAW/G; (3) training by SSLS of community focal points and implementing a capacity-building programme on women’s rights and VAW/G prevention for male community members; (4) awareness-raising on VAW/G prevention and referral mechanisms, including outreach activities and advocacy campaigns; and (5) multi-stakeholder meetings and the production of policy briefs and legal recommendations to prevent and end VAW/G based on the project’s findings. 

Togo

  • ALAFIA - Initiative Title: Eradication of Abductions & Forced and Early Marriages in the Prefecture of Mo – Cycle 27

In Togo’s Mo prefecture, predominantly populated by Moba and Peulh indigenous communities, girls aged 12 to 17 face forced abductions and early marriages, leading to serious consequences such as early pregnancies, disrupted education, and health issues. Deep-rooted cultural norms perpetuate this violence, affecting many young girls. Studies by the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) indicate 29.1% of women aged 20-49 were married before age 18.

ALAFIA, a women’s rights and women-led organization with over 27 years of experience combating gender-based violence, has successfully implemented initiatives addressing harmful practices across Togo. Building on successful interventions in other prefectures, this four-year initiative aims to reach 30,000 women and girls from Mo's Moba and Peulh indigenous communities, with specific focus on those most at risk of abduction and forced marriage: young women under 24 with low education levels, those from low-income groups, women with disabilities, and young single mothers.

The initiative’s innovative approach includes: (1) Empowering community leaders and women’s groups through targeted training on the rights of women and girls; (2) Partnering with traditional authorities to advocate for protective measures; (3) Launching educational campaigns to shift societal norms; and (4) Establishing community networks, including market-based support kiosks, to prevent and respond to abductions and forced marriages.

Uganda

  • THRIVE Gulu - Project Title: Access to MHPSS and Empowerment Support Services for Survivors of VAW/G in the Context of COVID-19: Post-Conflict Survivors and South Sudanese Refugee Populations in northern Uganda – Cycle 24

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In 2020, northern Uganda experienced unprecedented levels of gender-based violence, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, exposing a major gap in mental health and psycho-social support services. Additionally, pandemic-related financial insecurity, school closures and food shortages intensified gender inequalities and increased the risks of violence against women and girls.

THRIVE Gulu, an international NGO, provides essential trauma recovery services to individuals and communities in post-conflict northern Uganda. Its project will address violence against women and girls in the context of COVID-19 in Odek sub-county in Omoro District and Palabek Refugee Settlement in Lamwo District. It will also seek to align multi-sectoral service providers to ensure that essential services are more easily accessible, and change social norms that adversely affect women and girls.

The project intends to: (1) train key service providers on best practices in referrals, standard operating procedures relating to COVID-19, and delivery of survivor-centred care; (2) train community lay counsellors/gender-based violence monitors as frontline responders to violence against women and girls; (3) establish “seed capital” for economic empowerment of women and girls; (4) mobilize zero tolerance village forums to tackle gender inequalities and promote women’s human rights; and (5) provide adolescent girls with life skills and tools to prevent gender-based violence.

United Republic of Tanzania

  • Tanzania Women Cross-Party Platform - Initiative Title: Empowering Women for Safe Political Participation in Tanzania – Cycle 27 

Women and girls face significant barriers to political participation, including widespread violence during electoral processes in Tanzania. This violence undermines democratic engagement and limits women’s voices in governance, particularly for women facing intersecting forms of discrimination. World Bank statistics highlight the severity of this issue: 60.2% of women involved in Tanzanian politics have faced some form of violence, including psychological abuse, physical assault, and sexual coercion.  

The Tanzania Women Cross-Party Platform is committed to fostering inclusive political environments. With a robust network across various political spheres, they bring a wealth of experience in advocacy and grassroots mobilization to promote women's rights and safety in political contexts, reaching over 3000 people in the process.  

The initiative focuses on (1) Capacity-building workshops for women candidates including those with disabilities to navigate the political landscape and build resilience; (2) Civic education campaigns to raise awareness about violence against women during elections; 3) Facilitate debates and community led initiatives to address the challenges and opportunities for women with disabilities in politics; and (4) Advocating for legal and policy reforms to address violence against women in electoral contexts including strengthened protection for those with disabilities. 

  • Voice of Encouragement Tanzania (VET)  - Initiative Title: Breaking Chains, Building Dreams – Cycle 27 

In Tanzania’s Shinyanga and Mwanza regions, adolescent girls under 25 face critical challenges, including child sexual abuse and forced marriages, which hinder their educational and social development. According to data from the 2022 Tanzania Demographic Health Survey (TDHS), nearly 30% of adolescent and young women in Tanzania marry before their 18th birthday.

Voice of Encouragement Tanzania (VET) is dedicated to empowering young girls through community-based initiatives that foster resilience, awareness, and advocacy, ensuring that their voices are heard and their rights are upheld. Through Breaking Chains, Building Dreams project, VET directly engage 1,540 adolescents and young girls under the age of 25, including girls living with disabilities in Shinyanga and Mwanza regions. Through these activities, the initiative aims to empower girls with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves from violence, enhance cooperation among stakeholders, and raise awareness about child abuse prevention, ultimately reducing child sexual abuse and forced marriages in the targeted regions. 

This initiative’s impactful approach includes: (1) Capacity building workshops to build self-esteem, life skills, and rights awareness among girls; (2) Girl Chainbreaker Clubs in nine schools to create supportive peer networks; (3) Community dialogues to promote collaboration among school authorities, families, and government representatives against child sexual abuse; (4) Mobile health clinics offering accessible sexual and reproductive health services; (5) Educational campaigns using music, art, and storytelling to raise awareness about abuse and forced marriages; and (6) Advocacy workshops engaging stakeholders to promote better legislation and accountability in addressing child abuse. 

Zimbabwe

  • Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA Zimbabwe) - Initiative Title: Advancing Effectiveness of Laws and Policies that Prevent and End VAWG - Cycle 27

In Zimbabwe, despite existing laws designed to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG), significant gaps in enforcement continue to leave marginalized women vulnerable, especially those with disabilities and from low-income backgrounds. These gaps perpetuate cycles of violence and discrimination, creating urgent demand for transformative legal action. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues, with reports indicating a 90% increase in calls to the Musasa National Gender-based Violence Hotline during the initial lockdown.

Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) Zimbabwe is at the forefront of advocating for women's rights and legal reforms. With a robust history of grassroots engagement and a commitment to gender justice, WLSA harnesses localized expertise to empower communities and drive impactful change in the legal landscape. This initiative targets over 5,000 women and girls across the districts of Mbire, Marange, Beitbridge, and Chiredzi. By strengthening legal protections and amplifying access to services, the initiative aims to revolutionize the response to VAWG in Zimbabwe, paving the way for a safer, more equitable future for women and girls.

The initiative’s approach includes: (1) Empowerment and legal aid support for VAW/G survivors; (2) Community engagement and awareness raising to shift harmful social norms; (3) Fostering collaboration between women's rights organizations and policy makers to address existing protection gaps for women and girls; (4) Capacity building of government institutions to enhance enforcement mechanisms, GBV case referral and response; (5) Equipping women's rights organizations to act jointly to ending VAW/G.