Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement
RFLD combines legislative advocacy, community organising, re-granting, and open-data tools to advance women's rights, SRHR, civic space, and climate justice across Africa.
Continental reach,
community anchored.
RFLD operates across four integrated functions — re-granting, advocacy, research, and programme delivery — in a closed cycle where each function reinforces the next.
The DONUESE Data Center tracks women's leadership across 37 African countries — verified, citable, downloadable under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Maputo Protocol Hub, ACDEG Hub, AU Mechanisms, West Africa Legislative Platform — converting evidence into legislation.
WAFFF Fund and the Africa Grant Portfolio move resources directly to community-rooted organisations, with rapid-response grants for defenders at risk.
PAWELE, BRAVE, Climate Justice, Health, Ending FGM — five flagship programmes delivered through 670 member organisations.
"Data becomes evidence. Evidence becomes advocacy. Advocacy becomes legislation. Legislation becomes community reality. Resources flow at every stage — and member organisations report back into the data."
RFLD's contribution to the African feminist ecosystem is its integrated architecture — combining four functions inside one institutional structure so that data, advocacy, resources and community delivery reinforce one another.
The integration is the asset — we work alongside continental peers, each adding distinct strengths to the movement.
"RFLD's contribution to the African feminist movement is its integrated architecture — a network that combines evidence, advocacy, resourcing, and community delivery so that progress on women's rights gathers compounding force across the continent."
— RFLD Strategic Framework · 2026–2030
670 women-led, community-rooted organisations across 35+ African countries who receive sub-grants, capacity-building, continental advocacy infrastructure, and peer connection.
Member directory →Rapid-response grants, legal accompaniment, secure communications via RFLD-Connect, and continental advocacy through the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders.
Defender protection →An investment-grade, compliant gateway into African feminist work — NGOsource 501(c)(3) Equivalent, audited finances, and demonstrated capacity to move resources to grassroots organisations.
Partner with RFLD →Civil society engagement, evidence submissions, oral statements under ACHPR Observer Status, and policy briefs across the Maputo Protocol, ACDEG, and AU GEWE frameworks.
AU engagement →Verified, citable continental data through the DONUESE Data Center. Press-ready statistics, traceable sources, and bilingual publications under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data Center →Tax-deductible giving for US donors via NGOsource Equivalency Determination. Donor-Advised Fund eligible at Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, NPT, CAF America.
Give through your DAF →RFLD is a pan-African feminist intermediary, anchored in francophone West Africa and operating continent-wide. Founded in 2013 in Cotonou, formally registered across Benin, Senegal, Ghana, and The Gambia, the network operates across more than 35 African countries through 670 member organisations.
We work at the intersection of law, policy, community organising, and data to defend and expand women's rights across six fields of intervention: SRHR, civic space and human rights, economic justice and climate, participatory governance, peace and security, and ending FGM and child marriage.
Our integrated architecture is what guides our contribution to the African feminist movement. The DONUESE Data Center generates verified continental evidence. The continental policy hubs convert that evidence into advocacy. The WAFFF Fund and the Africa Grant Portfolio move resources to community-rooted organisations. Five flagship programmes translate policy into community reality. And the network's 670 member organisations report back into the cycle.
Institutionally serious. Francophone-rooted. Evidence-led. Unapologetically Afrofeminist.
We bring the editorial gravity of a continental institution that has been doing the work since 2013 — anchored by formal AU recognition, US tax equivalency, German federal cohort selection, and 670 community-rooted member organisations across the continent.
"RFLD's sub-granting model is the most efficient we've seen. Their ability to reach grassroots organisations in fragile contexts while maintaining rigorous compliance is exceptional."
— Dr. Delia Nicoue · Advisor, GIZ
RFLD's sub-granting model is among the most efficient we have seen. Their ability to reach grassroots organisations in fragile contexts while maintaining rigorous compliance is exceptional.
Being part of the RFLD network has given our small organisation access to continental advocacy spaces we could never have reached alone — and the resources to sustain our community work.
The protection and accompaniment RFLD provided during a critical moment in my work as a defender allowed me to continue. That kind of feminist solidarity changes lives.
Community mobilisation and continental advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights through the BRAVE Programme.
BRAVE Programme →Women Human Rights Defenders protection, civic space monitoring, and continental advocacy through the ACHPR Working Group.
WHRDs Report →Gender-responsive budgeting, climate adaptation, and economic justice for women across francophone and anglophone Africa.
Climate Action →Women's political leadership via PAWELE, ACDEG implementation, and legislative tracking across West Africa.
PAWELE →Women's inclusion in peace processes, regional dialogue, and conflict prevention across ECOWAS and Sahel contexts.
Programmes →Community-led abandonment of harmful practices, survivor-centred advocacy, and Maputo Protocol implementation work.
Listen →Proven capacity to move resources to grassroots defenders across francophone West Africa — with the four-window structure expanding in 2026.
Bilingual. Verified. Downloadable under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0. Built once for the continent.
Continental reference on digital violence against women and civil society — protocols and protection frameworks.
Tracking ratification, domestication, and implementation across the African Charter on the Rights of Women framework.
Leading civil society hub for monitoring and advocacy on the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
Accessible bilingual guides for African civil society on navigating the AU's policy and oversight mechanisms.
A consolidated public database tracking women's rights legislation across the ECOWAS region.
Online human rights learning hub for francophone African civil society — built with GIZ funding for grassroots reach.
Cover — African Women in Leadership Tracker, 2026 Edition · Eight RFLD analytical contributors.
A continental ledger of women's leadership across 37 African countries — verified data, Afrofeminist analysis, and continental advocacy infrastructure in a single institutional platform.
Built for three communities: donors seeking investment-grade evidence, civil society looking for comparative continental infrastructure, and journalists needing press-ready statistics with traceable sources.
RFLD engages continental and global mechanisms — under ACHPR Observer Status N°553, through the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders, and at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Delivered under Observer Status No. 553 at the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Banjul, The Gambia.
RFLD — as a recognised member of the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders — addressed the Commission on critical protection mechanisms.
Read Full Statement →
RFLD will be at CSW70 to ensure the voices of African women are not just heard, but empowered through systemic change.
Certified US Public Charity Equivalent. Direct grants accepted from US foundations without fiscal sponsorship. DAF-eligible at Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, NPT, CAF America.
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Observer Status. Member of the Working Group on Human Rights Defenders.
Co-Chair of the SEA-T Programme Advisory Council. Strategic guidance to the German Federal Ministry's flagship African gender-equality programme.
Selected by GIZ/BMZ as one of twelve African feminist organisations for the SEA-T flagship cohort across the continent.
37-country continental ledger · eight analytical contributors
$1.77M delivered · 85% to field · continental programme reach
Annual documentation of Women Human Rights Defenders
RFLD's continental roadmap for the next chapter
Your contribution flows through our WAFFF Fund and Africa Grant Portfolio directly to community-rooted organisations across 35+ countries — with 85% of every dollar reaching field activities.
US donors and foundations: NGOsource 501(c)(3) Equivalent certification means gifts are tax-deductible. Donor-Advised Fund eligible at Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, NPT, and CAF America.
Reach our leadership directly — for partnership inquiries, due diligence requests, defender protection support, or to schedule a briefing.
RFLD · Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement · Since 2013 · rflgd.org