HomeToday is International Women’s Day and the journey to gender equality has been achieved by the concerted efforts of different civil societies. In Africa, the following organizations have been at the forefront of championing the rights of women.
FIDA Kenya (Federation of women lawyers)
The acronym FIDA is a Spanish acronym for International Federation of Women Lawyers, that is, Federation International De Abogadas (FIDA). FIDA-Kenya is a Kenyan organization made up of female lawyers and was started 34 years ago and has provided legal aid to more than 300,000 women and their children. Some of the issues that they handle are litigation on maintenance matters, land and matrimonial property disputes, sexual reproductive health rights, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) among others.
UN Women
This is a global appendage of the United Nations which specializes in the needs of women, girls and the youth. Therefore they focus on areas such as sexual and reproductive health, economic empowerment of women, equal access to education for boys and girls, economic empowerment of the youth, needs of girls/women with disabilities among other focus areas.
The African Center for Gender and Development (ACGD)
It was previously known as the African Center for Women (AWC). ACGD is a division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The organization which works all over the continent was established in 1975. Some of the thematic areas they focus on are gender issues and the advancement of women within the UN system across Africa. They partner with national, sub-regional, and regional structures that deal with gender equality.
The East African Center
It is a non-profit organization that empowers communities by improving the health status of women and children, eradicating poverty and increasing the literacy of women and children.
Africa Women’s Media Center (AWMC)
AWMC is a project by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) which was launched in 1997 to train African female journalists and give them resources and tools to level the ground with their male counterparts.
Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA)
AMwA is an international pan-African, non-governmental development organization for African women based in the UK and has a regional office in Uganda Kampala. The statement is translated from Swahili and the name means ‘solidarity among African women’. They develop programs for women that cater to women leadership, networking, information and advocacy. Their aim is to build the individual and organizational leadership capacities for African women.
