i.
SRHR · DSSR
Advocacy and community mobilisation for sexual and reproductive health and rights through our flagship BRAVE Programme.
BRAVE →
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Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement - Women Leaders Network for Development
A pan-African feminist network for a continent.
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.
US Tax Status
NGOsource 501(c)(3) ED
Certified · Tax-deductible
Recognition · AU
ACHPR Observer
WG on Human Rights Defenders
Flagship Cohort
GIZ / BMZ SEA-T
2026 Council Presidency
The Network · 2026
670
member organisations
+317 new in March 2026
$1.77M
Delivered 2025
85%
To the Field
15+
Countries
Continental Footprint
Cotonou · DakarFrancophone Hub
AccraAfrica Regional
BanjulACHPR Liaison
Newly Certified
NGOsource
501(c)(3)
EQUIVALENT
· MMXXVI ·
Major Milestone · 2026
For US partners:
direct · compliant ·
tax-deductible.
RFLD is now certified as a US 501(c)(3) Public Charity Equivalent by NGOsource — making us one of the most credentialed feminist intermediary organizations on the continent, alongside our ACHPR Observer Status.
US foundations may grant to RFLD directly — without expenditure responsibility, without fiscal sponsorship.
Donor-Advised Funds at Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, NPT, CAF America and community foundations may recommend grants to RFLD.
Individual US donors — including the African diaspora — receive full tax deduction on direct gifts.
Workplace giving platforms (Benevity, Bright Funds) and employer matching are eligible.
RFLD is a pan-African feminist network anchored in francophone West Africa and operating continent-wide. We work at the intersection of law, policy, community organising, and data to defend and expand women's rights across six integrated fields: SRHR/DSSR, civic space and human rights, economic justice and climate, participatory governance, peace and security, and ending FGM and child marriage.
We combine direct programmes — PAWELE, BRAVE, Climate, Health, Ending FGM — with re-granting through the WAFF Fund and the Africa Grant Portfolio. In March 2026, 317 new member organisations joined our network, bringing the total to 670 across the continent.
We publish continental policy tools that serve as public infrastructure for African civil society: the Digital Safety Compendium, the Maputo Protocol Hub, the ACDEG Hub, AU Mechanisms Demystified, the West Africa Legislative Platform, and the Francophone Human Rights Hub.
"RFLD's sub-granting model is the most efficient we've seen. Their ability to reach grassroots organizations in fragile contexts while maintaining rigorous compliance is exceptional."
— Dr. Delia Nicoue · Advisor, GIZ
670
Network members
$1.77M
Delivered 2025
85%
To field
13yrs
Feminist delivery
Flagship · 2025–2028
GIZ · BMZ
SEA-T Cohort.
12
African feminist orgs · continent-wide
€1–2M
Per cohort member · 30 months
2026
RFLD holds SEA-T Council Presidency
In 2025, RFLD was selected by GIZ / BMZ after full institutional audit as one of only twelve African feminist organisations to form the first cohort of the Society · Equality · Africa · Transformation programme.
In 2026, RFLD assumes the Presidency of the SEA-T Advisory Council — a historic milestone for francophone African feminism and a signal of RFLD's leadership across the cohort.
Institutional Donors · 2025
GIZ / BMZ
·
Sida
·
AmplifyChange
·
Packard Foundation
·
FJS
·
Expertise France
§ Six fields of intervention
Where law meets community — and data meets delivery.
ii.
Civic Space & Human Rights
Defending civic freedoms, supporting Women Human Rights Defenders, documenting and countering shrinking civic space.
WHRDs Report →
iii.
Economic Justice & Climate
Gender-sensitive budgets, climate action, and economic justice for women across francophone Africa.
Climate Action →
iv.
Participatory Governance
Women's political leadership (PAWELE Programme), ACDEG implementation, legislative tracking across West Africa.
PAWELE →
v.
Peace & Security
Women's inclusion in peace and security processes, regional dialogue, conflict prevention across ECOWAS.
Learn more →
vi.
Ending FGM & Child Marriage
Community-led abandonment of harmful practices, survivor-centred advocacy, and Maputo Protocol implementation.
Podcast →WAFF Fund · Re-granting
€250,000 allocated in 2025 to 10 feminist organisations
Demonstrating proven capacity to move resources to grassroots defenders across francophone West Africa.
Public Infrastructure
Continental tools.
Open. Bilingual. Built for scale.
Digital Safety
African Digital Safety Compendium
Continental reference on digital violence against women & civil society — protocols, case documentation, protection frameworks.
Women's Rights
Maputo Protocol Hub
Tracking ratification, domestication, and implementation of the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women.
Governance
ACDEG Hub
African Charter on Democracy, Elections & Governance — leading civil society hub for ACDEG monitoring and advocacy.
Pan-African
AU Mechanisms Demystified
Guides for African civil society on navigating African Union mechanisms — accessible, actionable, bilingual.
Legislation
West Africa Legislative Platform
Tracking women's rights legislation across ECOWAS — the only consolidated public database of its kind for the region.
Francophone
Human Rights Hub · Francophone
Online human rights learning hub for francophone African civil society — built with GIZ funding, designed for grassroots reach.
Official Release · 2025
The Annual Report — now available.
The 2025 Annual Report marks a defining milestone in RFLD's evolution into a continental powerhouse for gender equity, human rights, and digital innovation across Africa.
$1,768,026 USD managed
With 85% of all funds directed directly into field activities — a testament to our commitment to frontline impact.
Trusted By Institutional Partners
GIZ / BMZ
✦
Sida
✦
AmplifyChange
✦
Packard Foundation
✦
FJS
✦
Expertise France
✦
USAID
✦
World Bank
✦
GIZ / BMZ
✦
Sida
✦
AmplifyChange
✦
Packard Foundation
✦
FJS
✦
Expertise France
✦
USAID
✦
World Bank
✦
Global Advocacy
From Banjul to New York.
ACHPR · 85th Session
Oral Statement to the African Commission
RFLD, as a recognized Member of the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders, addressed the commission on critical protection mechanisms.
Read Full Statement →
CSW70 · New York
March 9–19, 2026 · UN HQ
Building the permanent machinery for gender justice
RFLD will be at CSW70 to ensure the voices of African women aren't just heard, but are empowered through systemic change.
Connect with RFLD
Ready to invest
in gender justice
across Africa?
Francophone Hub
Cotonou, Benin · Dakar, Senegal
Africa Regional
Accra, Ghana
ACHPR Liaison
Banjul, The Gambia
RFLD · Profile 2026 · NGOsource ED · ACHPR Observer · GIZ/BMZ SEA-T · rflgd.org