Africa

Circle of Hope is a grassroot organization based in Zambia and working with more than 300 Consolidated Members in urban, rural and peri-urban areas of the country with 2 main organizations, Katube Women Association and Zambia Homeless and Poor People’s Federation.

The main areas of work for the organization is HIV/AIDS, resilience, land and housing, as well as good governance. Circle of Hope advocates for women’s empowerment, capacity building and sustainable development. Circle of Hope invites different NGOs and Institutions, specialized in particular areas to conduct learning sessions for mentorship and women’s empowerment.

In 2012, after piloting Tools for Change Manual program, Circle of Hope joined Huairou Commission.

Ecological Christian Organization is based in Uganda and works on economic empowerment of local communities. The organization advocates for affordable loans and savings for different  grassroots constituencies. Additionally, Ecological Christian Organization provides trainings on leadership, economic issues and other relevant topics to facilitate the communities’ empowerment.

Forum Mulher is a national feminist network located in Mozambique. The organization represents 45 Consolidated Members and 60 Affiliated Organizations in rural, urban and peri-urban areas of the country. The main areas of work are land, governance, sexual and reproductive health, and violence against women and girls.

Forum Mulher advocates for the eradication of violence against women and girls, end force, and early marriages, ensure women land rights, gender equal inheritance laws, 50/50 women participation in decision making, and safe abortion. With 2 main partners, OXFAM and Swiss Cooperation, Forum Mulher conducts peer learning sessions with rural women farmers, girls and young women on preventing violence.

Forum Mulher joined Huairou Commission in 2010 to share experiences and information, strengthen agendas and voices of women in order to articulate as one platform.

Grassroots Sisterhood Foundation (GSF) is a facilitation NGO in Tamale, Ghana. With more than 11,720 members, the foundation works with 9 Affiliated Organizations in the areas of land rights, community resilience, leadership building, health issues and human rights across rural (Bawku West, Saboba, Yendi, Lambushie, Garu and Nabdam Districts), urban (Tamale Metropolis and Sagnerigu Municipal), and peri-urban (Savelugu Nanton District) areas.

Having joined Huairou Commission (HC) in 2007, GSF was attracted by its values and principles that enable grassroots voices to influence policy-making processes globally, give an opportunity to expand the learning opportunities, and sharing experiences with the other grassroots organizations.

The primary focus of GSF is on women’s empowerment through effective representation and participation in decision-making for sustainable development at all political and socio-economic levels of governance. GSF works to enhance and transform power relations in a traditional rural setting in the areas of land security, climate change, and poverty reduction.

Due to the legal structure, women’s land rights in Ghana are vulnerable. Thus, GSF aims to strengthen women’s participation and ensure gender equality in land negotiations, land rights, and other land-related decisions, especially for the sake of the women farmers community.

The International Women’s Communication Center is a grassroots organization located in Nigeria. Having found a common mission and goals with Huairou Commission (HC) in promoting global grassroots movement, sustainable and inclusive development as well as women’s empowerment, IWCC is one of the pioneering members that committed to HC in 1995 at the famous Grassroots Tent during the 4th World Congress on Women in Beijing.

IWCC works with 25 women groups, 160 members directly and 5000 members indirectly on health issues as HIV/AIDS, resilience, land, and housing, as well as governance to achieve gender equality and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on gender equality (SDG5), reducing inequality (SDG10), and sustainable cities and communities (SDG11).

IWCC is building a strategic partnership with other grassroots organizations and different communities in Nigeria to achieve sustainable and inclusive development goals through local-to-local dialogues, localization of SDGs and Urban Thinkers Campus, and joint programs. Additionally, IWCC focuses on capacity building for grassroots women through community mapping and community outreach activities, and political advocacy.

Katuba Women’s Association (KWA) is a grassroots organization in Zambia. KWA has 6-7 affiliated groups in each of the seven zones in Katuba Constituency, with each group having around 25 members in urban and rural areas. The organization is primarily interested in governance, resilience, agriculture, land and housing issues.

The Association follows up the governmental programs on development and assists members in taking part in these programs through sharing information and helping with documents and transportation. KWA networks with various organizations in Lusaka that focus on building members’ capacities, information exchange, and training in budget monitoring at the local level. Grassroots women are especially happy to attend these workshops because they normally have Chibwanse (social gatherings) in the evenings after they attend the workshop. Women play traditional drums and dance, a break from the usual and daily house chores that they perform.

KWA became a member of Huairou Commission (HC) in 2009 because HC facilitates raising voices of grassroots women at local, national and international forums and assists its members to grow and participate in decision-making in various programs globally.

Kawempe Home Based Care Alliance (KHBCA) is a grassroots women’s organization in Uganda whose entry point in community work is HIV/AIDS and bringing women together on home care issues, an important but difficult area for which to find assistance. Huairou Commission (HC), as a champion in grassroots women leadership, supported the ideas of KHBCA and acknowledged the organization as a member in 2009.

KHBCA has 285 Consolidated Members and 18 Affiliated Organizations engaged in the areas of health, as with HIV/AIDS, land, housing, and resilience. KHBCA conducts peer exchange and learning sessions to increase awareness on its relevant areas of work in Uganda on a regular basis. It also enhances women’s capacity building with such partners as SWID, Makerere Development Group, and LUCOHECO.

KHBCA mentors grassroots women to occupy leadership spaces from local to national levels. Moreover, the organization opened a training department for tailoring and hairdressing to provide women with education and skills for economic independence.

KPFA is a national smallholder farmers organization located in Kenya. The organization operates with 8000 Consolidated Members, and three Affiliated Organizations, Kenya National Farmers Federation (KENAFF), Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers (AKEFEMA), and Poultry Association of East Africa working in urban, rural and peri-urban areas.

Thematic areas of work are resilience, governance, economic empowerment, and farming as a business. With the specific focus on women, KPFA developed programs on women’s economic empowerment, women in leadership, smallholder producers and management. On an average basis, the Association holds learning session on relevant topics with local grassroots women and other women groups with the support of other actors in the poultry value chain, as Kenya Poultry Breeders Association, Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers, Kenya National Farmers Federation, Agriculture Information Network.

Kenya Poultry Farmers Association in Kenya joined Huairou Commission (HC) to support women in farming

Lambassa ICA Benin is a facilitating NGO in Benin, with more than 850 consolidated members and 12 affiliated groups. The organization joined Huairou Commission in 2007 to improve their standards of working with rural women due to little experience and to support the grassroots movement in the international arena. ICA is involved in three regions in Benin: Donga in the North, Atlantique, and Littoral in the southern region.

The main areas of work for the organization are water safety, women’s rights for land and housing, and health issues. Policy and advocacy priorities for LAMBASSA are: reduction of women’s poverty, women’s access to credit, women’s role in contributing to Sustainable Development Goals, women’s participation in decision, and policymaking. 

With major partners, such as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Urban Development, LAMBASSA organizes capacity-building sessions for grassroots, grassroots communities, grassroots leaders, and other women’s constituencies. 

LAMOSA is a federation in South Africa. LAMOSA works with hundreds of communities, women’s groups, youth, small-scale farmers, cooperatives, 2000 caregivers and more than 800 households in the provinces of Limpopo, Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga, the Eastern part of North Cape and the Free State. The scale of work is vast: health issues, resilience, housing, land reforms, inheritance, governance and enterprise development.

LAMOSA’s policy priorities are bound with women’s empowerment, especially increasing participation of women in policy and decision-making. The organization mobilizes resources, and organizes workshops and trainings on leadership, good governance, strategic planning, and community development. The grassroots women are given trainings on the village level and taught to organize, mobilize and work with the financial administration, directives and supervision of LAMOSA.

LAMOSA joined the  Huairou Commission in 2007. Since then, LAMOSA gained access to the HC network, became able to collaborate with other sister organizations advocating and campaigning for grassroots’ Land and Agrarian Reform Rights, Governance, Aids and Disaster management locally and globally.

Lungujja Community Health Caring Organisation (LUCOHECO) is a grassroots organization based in Uganda. Lungujja joined Huairou Commission in 2007 to become a part of global advocacy, partnership and network building of grassroots organizations, for resource mobilization as well as institutional capacity strengthening through collaboration from local to global. Currently LUCOHECO works with more than 600 Consolidated Members in urban and peri-urban areas of the country.

The main areas of work for Lungujja are HIV/AIDS, land and housing, as well as governance. The organization aims to empower women and girls to fight for their inheritance rights and economic sustainability through functional adult literacy and micro credit savings, and effective integration of community paralegalism in the communities of Lubaga Division on Women’s Land, Housing and Property Rights in the era of HIV/AIDS, as well as  empowering communities to effectively participate in HIV/AIDS, prevention, treatment, care and support encompassing issues of Human Rights for self-sustainability as well as involvement into elective public positions in order to influence decision-making.

HBCA in Malawi has since 2011 grown from 1,230 members to consist of nearly 4,000 caregivers today. The Alliance works in 42 communities across 4 districts in Malawi (Lilongwe, Dowa, Ntchisi and Mchinji) and is divided into 40 local groups of home-based caregivers. In 2014, the Alliance in Malawi was registered with the District Social Welfare Office, which means that the activities of the Alliance work in compliance with the official rules and systems and facilitates the Alliance’s formal communication with the local government and funding possibilities.

The HBCA Malawi has been working closely with the organization Ccode who supports the Alliance with knowledge and network. Caregivers have referred a large number of clients to hospitals and health centers for HIV Testing, Counselling and Treatment, and also taking care of people with cancer and TB.

MLAHRA, a community-based organization in Kenya, joined Huairou Commission in 2005 due to its interest in the global grassroots women’s movement and the possibility to connect with and learn from other internationally-based grassroots organizations. 

MLAHRA is engaged with 45 consolidated member organizations in the urban settings of Nigeria on the issues of land rights, housing, and governance. The organization’s policy advocacy priorities are focused on sustainable and inclusive development of urban slum areas and capacity-building for grassroots women to participate in decision-making processes at local, regional, and national levels. 

MLAHRA facilitates the empowerment of women through advocacy activities carried out with the organization’s main partners: the Local Administration on Security and the National and Country Government on Land and Housing Issues. The approach includes a continuous series of community-based dialogues and forums that bring together grassroots women’s groups, government agencies, and local and international NGOs.

Ntengwe for Community Development is a facilitating NGO in Zimbabwe. The organization works with 1240 members and 64 Women’s Self Help Groups, 10 Cluster Levels Associations, 3 Federations and 2 Women’s Farmers Groups in Hwange districts. Ntengwe also works with 21 Internal Savings and Lending Groups in Lupane and 20 Women’s ICP groups in Binga in rural areas on the issues of governance, health (HIV/AIDS), land and property rights, and resilience. Ntengwe’s main policy and advocacy priorities in justice and civil rights include supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment goals and women’s legal and social protection. In the area of economic advancement Ntengwe’s goals are focused on improving women’s economic security empowerment, and accessing inclusive markets health and safety priorities are women’s health, promoting legalizations that supports survivors of gender-based violence. Having become a member of Huairou Commission in 2005, the organization wanted to create, together with HC, a greater gender equality movement in Africa, support grassroots women-led initiatives, facilitate grassroots women’s leadership opportunities, advocate and create more spaces where grassroots women’s voices are heard. Ntengwe wants to focus with Huairou on institutional and policy strengthening to influence public policy and processes.

Polycom Development Project (PDP)  is a grassroots organization based in Kenya. PDP accounts for 200 Consolidated Members and 8 Affiliated Organizations who are located in the urban parts of Kenya and engaged in work on resilience, governance, peace and women’s safety.

Polycom joined Huairou Commission in 2014 and, as said by the leader, Jane Anyango, “Huairou speaks my language. Huairou offers everything that I have always seen as a gap in grassroots women empowerment, recognition, and support to their community work.”

PDP primarily works on facilitating capacity building of grassroots women by organizing workshops and training for women and conducting peer exchange learning with more established organizations and NGOs.

Polycom focuses on creating space for meaningful participation of women in decision making and policy creation for inclusive and sustainable development. PDP has already successfully introduced and connected grassroots women with such frameworks platforms as the SDGs, the Sendai Framework, and the New Urban Agenda.

Rural Women’s Federation of Madagascar (FARM) is a federation based in Madagascar having more than 17,000 Consolidated Members and 1080 Affiliated Organizations in rural areas of the country with two main partners, WLLA and NUA. Thematic area of work for the organization is community resilience.

The organization advocates for women’s empowerment and sustainable development by conducting regular peer learning sessions with women from various regions in Madagascar. The primary strategy towards women’s empowerment is knowledge transfer, capacity building of rural women through cascade training and training of facilitators.

FARM receives support from IFAD on piloting a women leadership programs. They developed a methodology around a few themes that the members found necessary, such as budgeting, visioning, conflict management, association management and communications skills.

In 2011, FARM joined Huairou Commission to be a part of the global grassroots movement.

Rural Women’s Network (RWN), formerly known as Rural Women’s Initiative, is a network founded in Kenya. RWN is an organization of rural women’s groups that are mainly small holders of agricultural products in rural and peri-urban parts of Kenya. Within 2067 members, the organization addresses issues of health, resilience, food security, climate change, and governance.

RWN became a member of Huairou Commission (HC) in 2016 to be included in leadership and decision-making at the international level. By being a part of HC work, the network enhances and amplifies the voices of grassroots rural women.

The pivotal initiatives for RWN are the areas of women’s empowerment in the sector of agriculture and equitable resource distribution through identifying the gaps with respective women groups and fundraising to address the identified issues. RWN works as a facilitator between the local grassroots organizations and national governments for project implementation and resource allocation.

Rural Women’s Network takes a strong standpoint in mitigating climate change impact through smart agriculture initiatives and conservation agriculture with its main partners, Polycom Development Project, Rural Urban Linkage, Women Smallholder farmer Clinics, and Ministry of Agriculture.

Rwanda Women’s Network (RWN) is a facilitating NGO in Rwanda. RWD works with 2,165 Consolidated Members and 88 cooperatives, associations, and groups across urban and rural settings of Rwanda on governance, HIV/AIDS, and land and housing.

The policy and advocacy priorities for RWN are women’s empowerment, access and control of production means, land and finance, social norm change in relation to gender equality, gender-based violence and women’s safety, women’s leadership, and contribution to inclusive governance, SDGs, and decent work conditions.

Having become a partner of Huairou Commission (HC) in the late 1990s, RWN works with grassroots women on the program areas directly linked to HC’s different campaigns and programs: HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence and women and girls’ safety in public spaces, women and land, and having grassroots women’s voice contributing directly to national, regional and global policy discussions and formulation.

Seke Rural Home Based Care (SRHBC) is a grassroots organization located in Zimbabwe. SRHBC works with more than 3000 members and 4 organizations on HIV/AIDS, resilience, land and housing, and governance in rural and peri-urban regions.

SRHBC’s main areas of work are transformation of power relations and decision-making mechanisms through mentoring and advocacy; support for the elevation of various women to the position of decision making; and promoting increased women’s participation in policy-making, sustainable development, climate change, and sustainable agriculture. This work has led to grassroots women being involved in global advocacy work, the Huairou Commission’s Grassroots Academy, the UNISDR conference in Abuja and various other international conferences.

In terms of women’s capacity building, SRHBC links the groups with service providers, line ministries and other stakeholders depending on the needs of the particular group at any particular time.

SRHBC joined Huairou Commission in 2004.

Shibuye Community Health Workers (SCHW) is a community-based organization in Kenya, accounting for 2040 members and 119 Affiliated Organizations that are engaged in issues of good governance, HIV/AIDS, land and housing, women, livelihood and resilience in rural areas of the country.

In terms of women’s capacity building, SCHW trains grassroots women as trainers, expands the skills and learning abilities of the local community, and develops community driven approaches to addressing problems and challenges affecting the community. A main priority for the organization is to have grassroots women’s voices heard and efforts recognized by local and national authorities as key contributors in building resilience.

SCHW became a member of Huairou Commission in 2004 to build its network, learn from other grassroots women groups, and strengthen advocacy on issues affecting grassroots women on the community and nationally.

Slum Women’s Initiative for Development (SWID) is a network established in Uganda. SWID focuses its work in urban, rural and peri-urban areas engaging 600 members and 12 Affiliated Organizations in women’s acquisition of land and housing, economic empowerment of grassroots women through the revolving loan fund and locally led initiatives. The organization utilizes the Local-to-Local Dialogue methodology to help  grassroots women keep leaders accountable.

SWID assists local grassroots women in capacity-building through the development of resource materials and by working closely with grassroots women’s groups. The organization identifies the women to participate in empowerment activities and events such as training on the ability to lead peer learning and exchange of experience sessions.

SWID became a member of Huairou Commission (HC) in 2008 because of the common areas of operation, interest in grassroots movement and women’s empowerment. Since then, SWID has connected with the other grassroots organizations and networks to strengthen women’s representation in politics in Uganda.

Survivors in Action is a grassroots organization located in Zimbabwe. The organization works with 900 Survivors of Domestic Violence and 300 Home Based Care Alliance members in urban and rural areas of the country. Thematic areas of work for Survivors in Action are HIV/AIDS, resilience, land and housing, as well as governance.

On a regular basis, Survivors in Action conducts learning sessions with Zimbabwe Parents of the Handicapped Children, Seke Rural Home Based Care, and Ntengwe for women’s empowerment and transformation of power, acknowledging women’s roles in development, and grassroots women empowerment.

Survivors in Action joined HC for the following reasons: networking with fellow grassroots women movements worldwide, learning local and international best practices, exploring growth opportunities, mentorship, and exposure to global platforms and opportunities.

UCOBAC is a facilitating NGO in Uganda. The organization has 2000 members and 50 affiliated grassroots organizations engaged in rural and urban areas in health issues, resilience, land and housing, governance, and supporting orphans and other vulnerable children. The main partners of UCOBAC are Kawempe Home Based Care Alliance, Slum Women Initiative for Development, AWARE-Uganda, LUCOHECO, Mbuya Home Care Alliance, Kiboga Community Paralegal Association, Mityana Community Paralegal Association, Mubende Community Paralegal Association, Canadian Feed the Children, and American Jewish World Service.

As a facilitating NGO, UCOBAC partners with grassroots women’s groups to implement initiatives at the grassroots level, coordinate groups during capacity building processes and peer learning exchanges, and promote other empowerment methodologies like local-to-local dialogues. Moreover, UCOBAC introduces Huairou Commission’s diamond methodology to the other grassroots groups.

UCOBAC became a member of Huairou Commission in 1995.

Widow of Hope Foundation is a facilitating NGO based in Ghana. In 2006, the Foundation joined Huairou Commission in order to build global grassroots movement and network advocate for the rights of women, including housing and land rights.

The NGO engages 10 Consolidated Members and 15 Affiliated Organizations in rural and urban areas of the country in the thematic areas of work, such as HIV/AIDS, land and housing rights. The organization promotes gender equality in social relations as well as ensuring economic development within cooperatives (KOOKOPA Farmer Association, AHNASUCOFA, NYONKO PA Association), as well as families to increase food productivity and also reduce poverty under SOLIDARIDAD’s Gender and Empowerment programme and Nyonkopa’s Gender Programs.

WOTIDE is a grassroots organization based in South Africa. In 2003, WOTIDE became a member of Huairou Commission to be engaged in the women’s empowerment issues, facilitate capacity building of grassroots group, work in partnership on technical and financial capacity development creating platforms for grassroots women and their communities, locally and globally. The organization works with 38 Consolidated Members and 13 Affiliated Organizations in rural areas of the country on the issues of HIV/AIDS, resilience, land and housing, and governance. The organization advocates for women’s empowerment through holding meetings and mapping out women issues within the communities in the rural set-up, and facilitating the capacity building, additionally focusing on youth empowerment.

ZHPPF is a community-based organization. ZHPPF has 48,000 members and 561 Affiliated Organizations in 53 districts in Zambia. The main policy and advocacy initiatives for the organization are low-cost housing, land access and land rights, security of tenure, poverty alleviation, and water sanitation.

ZHPPF works on women’s empowerment by training, exchanges and learning through sharing of ideas and practices among grassroots women and grassroots organizations. Regarding political areas, women are supported by dialogues with local authorities, one-on-one meetings with governmental agencies, as well as through forums.

ZHPPF became a member of Huairou Commission (HC) in 2009. ZHPPF and HC share the common values of supporting grassroots women, empowering women and inclusive and sustainable urban development.

ZPHCA is a grassroots organization in Zimbabwe. Having become a member of Huairou Commission (HC) in 2004, it appealed to ZPHCA as it would allow for learning, sharing with other grassroots organizations at the international level, accessing resources, developing strategic partnerships, and networking opportunities at local, national and international levels.

ZPHCA accounts for 800 grassroots women members located in urban and rural areas and is engaged in working on resilience, health issues, land rights and housing, and good governance. The grassroots women are the primary actors in ZPHCA and meet on a monthly basis to plan, organize and host community programs.

ZPHCA facilitates women’s empowerment through training and educating grassroots leaders and women on mobilization, mapping, access to justice and advocacy on grassroots women’s rights and children living with disabilities. Such learning programs are conducted together with key partners: Tengwe, Shelter and Dialogue, Seke Rural Home Based Care, and Ray of Hope Zimbabwe.