| The Cause… |
Women for Women
Their Theory of Change:
Women for Women International believes that when women are well, sustain an income, are decision-makers, and have strong social networks and safety-nets, they are in a much stronger position to advocate for their rights. This philosophy and commitment to local leadership builds change and capacity at the grassroots level. |
| An Inspiration… |
From Liberia, to Rwanda, Sudan, and Nigeria, women are banding together across lines of conflict such as religion, tribe or political party to demand an end to violence. We join with them in calling for an immediate end to conflict and investment in resources necessary to ensure that civilians are protected and able to rebuild their lives, families and communities.
Liberia is still recovering from the conflict and instability sparked by a military coup in 1980. Civil wars from 1989-1997 and 1999-2003 left more than 200,000 people dead and another 500,000 displaced. Rape was used as a weapon of war, while unprecedented numbers of Liberian women and girls were made combatants.
Immense challenges exist for women attempting to reintegrate into civilian life and shame, stigma, and lack of economic opportunities remain persistent obstacles to women's active citizenship. Yet, in addition to electing the first female head of state in Africa, there is also a nascent, active grassroots community of Liberian women leaders, activists and organizations working on behalf of women’s economic social and civic participation in decisions about the country’s future. Thousands of women organized across religious and political divides to demand peace and literally had to force themselves into the 2003 peace talks by sitting outside and locking the warlords in until they reached an agreement.
Much work has been done within the humanitarian and development community to document the status of women in Liberia and identify their unique challenges and opportunities. As a result, WfWI now seeks to provide socially excluded women in Liberia with the access to information and resources necessary to lead social and civic change in their own lives, their families and communities.
With successful African country offices in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria and Sudan, WfWI’s strategy promotes rights awareness, household and community decision-making and economic opportunities by supporting women as they move from crisis and poverty to self-reliance and active citizenship. Through rights awareness education and group support, women will increase their knowledge and self-confidence, and will be able to advocate on behalf of themselves and others. With improved access to economic resources and opportunities, women will be able to support themselves and their families, thus elevating their status within their families and communities. When women are prosperous, they are better able to participate in household and community decision-making, exercise their constituent rights and mobilize for change.
In order to take an informed approach to program expansion and implementation, WfWI requires funding to identify opportunities for program expansion and ensure that programming and services offered are tailored to the Liberian women’s context.
Timeline:
- Year 1: Identify Opportunities for program expansion in Liberia and develop operational plan (investment opportunity proposed to the Segal Family Foundation)
- Year 2: Program start-up and enrollment of first 500 women.
- Year 3: Enroll 500 women (total of 1,000)
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