RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development

Pan-African feminist network · 1100+ member orgs · 35+ countries · Human rights, gender equality, health, development, peace & security · ACHPR Observer

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

ACHPR, Sweden and Germany Convene at the RFLD Dakar Office on the Protection of Women Human Rights Defenders in West Africa

Three of the institutional voices that accompany the engagement of West African States in the protection of Women Human Rights Defenders convened on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, at the Dakar Office of the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD), for a high-level institutional Afrofeminist concertation: the Honourable Professor Remy Ngoy Lumbu, Special Rapporteur of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) on Human Rights Defenders and Focal Point on Reprisals in Africa, and former Chairperson of the ACHPR; Her Excellency Catharina Cappelin, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Senegal; and the Federal Republic of Germany, represented at two complementary levels — diplomatically by Mrs Henriette Wolf, First Secretary (Political) at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Dakar; and through bilateral cooperation by Mrs Katja Roeckel, Country Director of GIZ Senegal.

Read more: https://t.co/qAM4uURaiO

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

Bathor Seck, RFLD Country Director in Senegal, presents RFLD's commitment to strengthening the Francophone associative ecosystem and ensure that more funding reaches the organizations doing this work throughout the region.
Are you a donor, foundation, or philanthropist interested in supporting women's organizations in Francophone Africa? Write to us at [email protected] . We'd be happy to share our knowledge and introduce you to the organizations doing the work. The women we meet every week don't need convincing that their work matters. They need the resources to continue it.

https://t.co/xKDm3jFeZs

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

There is a simple first step for philanthropists, family offices and individual givers who want to act. Before you commit, call the funders who already invest in French-speaking Africa, many of them based in New York, Washington and the United Kingdom. Ask them which francophone organisations they trust, and why.

What German cooperation SEA-T Programme does with €25 million, a private philanthropy of US$26 billion can do on a very different scale. More than 58% of funds intended for Africa still pass through Western intermediaries. (Oak Foundation, 2024). Many donors don't accept applications: it identifies recipients through research and recommendations. Those who are not on the radar have no door to knock on.

A funder who has worked in the francophone region can tell you what no website will: which francophone organisations managed their grants well, and which kept working when the political climate turned hostile. The Center for Effective Philanthropy has shown that large, unrestricted gifts create sustained impact for the organisations that receive them (CEP, 2025). Funds can build reserves, cover core costs, diversify income and strengthen governance.

Where you cannot fund small organisations yourselves, entrust envelopes to feminist funds and African networks able to regrant, with explicit targets for Francophone Africa.

We invite you to read our Op-ed: https://t.co/LQcnILcbJt

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

La subvention ROOTS - Ressources pour la résilience, l’organisation collective et la durabilité transformatrice invite les organisations à manifester leur intérêt pour bénéficier de :
•Petites subventions pour renforcer leur résilience institutionnelle et financière et
•Un accompagnement personnalisé et un appui au développement des capacités, adaptés à leurs propres priorités organisationnelles

Que vos priorités concernent la gouvernance, le leadership, la sécurité, le soin collectif (collective care), la mobilisation de ressources, la gestion financière ou la pérennité organisationnelle, la subvention ROOTS vise à vous accompagner dans le renforcement des fondations de votre organisation.

📌 Soumettez votre manifestation d’intérêt https://t.co/ljWk5X6FPo
🗓️ Date limite : 24 novembre 2026 à 23h30 (CET – heure d’Europe centrale).
Cet appel à manifestation d’intérêt constitue la première étape d’un processus de sélection en deux p

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

The ROOTS Grant: Resourcing for Resilience, Organising and Transformative Sustainability invites organisations to express their interest in accessing:
•Small grants to strengthen their institutional and financial resilience and
•Tailored advisory and capacity development support based on their own organisational priorities
Whether your priorities relate to governance, leadership, security, collective care, fundraising, financial management or organisational sustainability, the ROOTS Grant aims to support organisations in strengthening the foundations of their work.

📌 Submit your Expression of Interest here: https://t.co/8qq11YMhPf

🗓️ Submission deadline: 24 November 2026, at 23:30 hrs CET
This is the first step of a two-stage selection process.
Please share widely with Afro-feminist organisations and networks across Africa!

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

Donors trust donors. If you are a philanthropist, a family office or an individual giver thinking about Francophone Africa, here is our advice: before you commit, call the funders in New York, Washington and the UK who already invest in French-speaking Africa. Ask them which local organisations they trust, and why.

A peer's recommendation opens doors that a cold application never will. It also saves you months of searching.

The need is real. In seven years, Yield Giving has given US$26.3 billion. In its own public database, organisations headquartered in Francophone Africa received 0.13% of the published amounts. Women's rights organisations in the region often work on less than US$22,000 a year.

At RFLD, we know these organisations well. Between June and September 2026 alone, we awarded 27 grants worth US$722,100, and we publish every grant in an open register.

Read John GBENAGNON's op-ed: https://t.co/LQcnILcbJt

Talk to a funder who already knows the region. Then talk to us.

#Philanthropy #FrancophoneAfrica #FeministFunding #TrustBasedPhilanthropy #ShiftThePower #RFLD

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

I do not believe in deliberate exclusion. I see a set of obstacles that we know well and that our report Funding Feminist Movements in Francophone West Africa: 2026 Data measures precisely (RFLD, 2026).
We, African organisations, also have our part to play. We must make our work visible in French and in English, publish our accounts and results, and join forces to reach the scale that large funders know how to fund.
Read more : https://t.co/LQcnILcbJt

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

Twenty-six billion dollars have shown that trust-based philanthropy is possible. It still needs to learn French. Yield Giving has distributed $26.3 billion since 2019 according to figures released in December 2025 in its own database. Organizations based in Francophone Africa receive 0.13% of this. John Gbenagnon analyzes the causes of this gap and calls on donors to follow the SEA-T model of German cooperation.

https://t.co/dZFYkJZzqs

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

Francophone Africa is underfunded, and women and girls pay the price.
That is why RFLD funds grassroots women's groups, builds open data and takes their evidence to the AU and the African Commission.
We are raising US$14M for 2027 to 2029. #WomensRights

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

Your support moves resources to the frontline. Explore our strategic plan : https://t.co/N8z7bkDK5V

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

13 national laws, decrees and policies in 8 West African countries since 2020, to which RFLD contributed. We have advocated for stronger laws through national coalitions, alternative reports, meetings with parliamentarians and engagement at the African Commission.

https://t.co/A6euWI4kTS

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

📘 New report | Women’s voices at the African Commission

Your support carried 42 women human rights defenders, grassroots leaders, lawyers and staff from 15 African countries to Dakar in October, for the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Today we share the full account of what that delegation achieved.

A question raised by our members, how can women defend rights without being exposed, reached the main agenda of the Commission on 12 October. We delivered our oral statement, held side events, engaged special rapporteurs, and were received by Senegal’s States Officials.

Free PDF in English and French

🇬🇧 https://t.co/L819sLogOO

🇫🇷 https://t.co/MKHWBp2egP

#ACHPR89 #CADHP89 #WomenHumanRightsDefenders #AfricanCommission #GenderEquality #RFLD

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

RFLD's Six Offices. Explore our Strategic Plan
🇬🇭 Accra, Ghana (Africa Office, headquarters)
Nmai Dzorn, Adjiringano Rd, Eden Court, Accra
🇸🇳 Dakar, Senegal (francophone hub)
5th and 6th floors, Immeuble Cité Keur Gorgui, Résidence « AW 06 », Dakar
🇧🇯 Porto-Novo, Benin (francophone hub)
Hounsa, Rue de l'Université Agricole, Porto-Novo
🇧🇯 Igolo, Benin (member platform and community base)
🇬🇲 Banjul, The Gambia (liaison with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights)
🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria (Nigeria office)

Partners, members and friends are welcome to visit or write to us.
🌐 https://t.co/tkSL1lXPtQ
✉️ [email protected]
#RFLD #WomenLeaders #Africa #Ghana #Senegal #Benin #TheGambia #Nigeria #WomensRights #FeministMovements

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

From GivingTuesday on 1 December to 31 December 2026, RFLD aims to raise funds for six causes: ending gender-based violence, ending sexual harassment, stopping harmful practices, ending sex trafficking, protecting women defenders and ending online violence.

Every gift reaches women-led organisations in our network.

Be one of the first donors. Explore:

https://t.co/dwdki5YFdw

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

Nouveau : le réseau des anciennes et mentores de l’Académie RFLD. Diplômées et mentores peuvent s’inscrire sur
#AcadémieRFLD #Mentorat

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

New: the RFLD Academy alumni and mentors network. Graduates and mentors across Africa can join on
#RFLDAcademy #Mentorship

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

Note de politique : Défendre sans être exposée. Comment protéger les défenseures des droits humains en Afrique. Sur
#DDH #DroitsHumains

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

Policy brief: Defending without being exposed. How states, the African Commission and donors can protect women human rights defenders. On
#WHRD #HumanRights

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

We are pleased to welcome Salamatou Hassane, who joined the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) Ghana Office on 2 November 2026 for a professional externship facilitated through the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI).
This engagement provides an opportunity for cross-regional learning, professional development and knowledge exchange, while strengthening connections among civil society actors working to advance gender equality, women's leadership and human rights across West Africa.
For Hassane, the externship represents an opportunity to gain new perspectives, strengthen her professional competencies in gender, and deepen her understanding of the relationship between policy influencing, advocacy and human rights protection.
Reflecting on her motivation, she shared:
“The tale of women is an issue that affects me deeply.”
Drawing from her experiences in Niger and her appreciation of the work of civil society organisations advancing women's rights, Hassane recognises the importance of placing women's leadership at the heart of development.
At RFLD, we believe that meaningful change is strengthened through collaboration, shared learning and the exchange of knowledge and experiences across borders.
We look forward to a fruitful month of learning, engagement and professional exchange with Hassane.
Welcome to RFLD, Hassane! We are delighted to have you with us.
#RFLD #WACSI #GenderEquality #WomensLeadership #CivilSociety #RegionalCollaboration #PolicyAdvocacy #HumanRights #WestAfrica #ProfessionalDevelopment

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

13 lois depuis 2020 dans 8 pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest : notre registre des lois que le RFLD et ses partenaires ont fait évoluer, avec leurs références. Sur
#VBG #DroitsDesFemmes

[RFLD | Women Leaders Network for Development @RfldOrg]

13 laws since 2020, 8 West African countries: our new register of the laws RFLD and partners helped change, with official references. On
#EndGBV #WomensRights