RFLD connects grassroots women-led organisations in more than 35 African countries to the funding and evidence they need, and to the continental institutions where African law is made.
Founded in 2013 and led by African women, RFLD has supported 9.78 million women and girls. How far the network goes next depends on the partners who invest in it.
Our advocacy covers all 55 African Union member states. These offices anchor it, listed from west to east.
RFLD resources the women-led organisations that defend African women’s rights, and carries their evidence to the institutions where laws and budgets are decided, so that rights written on paper change daily life.
Our vision. An Africa where women and young people hold the economic and political power to shape their societies, and where civic space stays open for everyone who defends it.
The core facts about our organisation, kept in one place for funders and researchers who need them quickly.
These are the strengths a partner gains on the first day of working with us.
Our members include rural collectives and youth-led groups, among them movements working on issues others avoid. Through the Africa Grant Portfolio and the West African Feminist Fund, money reaches them while RFLD carries due diligence and reporting.
670 member organisations in 35+ countriesAs an observer to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and a member of the Working Group of the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, we bring member evidence into continental decisions. Our Maputo Protocol Hub follows how each AU state applies the Protocol.
ACHPR Observer Status N°553The DƆNÙESÈ Data Center is a public good of twelve open, bilingual policy tools with gender-disaggregated data on health, budgets, legislation and rights violations. We also publish the State of African Francophone Feminist Movements report.
Data for all 55 AU member statesWomen human rights defenders face threats online and offline. We train them in digital resilience and publish the African Digital Safety Compendium so the knowledge stays with defenders after the training ends.
110+ defenders trained in 2026Our work follows a cycle that starts and ends with our members.
Member organisations record what women face in their communities, from violence to gaps in health care, and the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center turns it into usable evidence.
We take that evidence to parliaments, ministries, ECOWAS and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Governments domesticate the Maputo Protocol, adopt protections for defenders and fund the services women need.
RFLD re-grants to members so they can deliver locally and check that commitments are kept.
What members learn in the fourth step feeds the first, so every cycle starts from stronger evidence and a stronger network.
This is the corridor we know best and reach furthest. Few large-scale funders have a direct partner here, which means a new investment reaches communities and movements that are ready to act.
Each of these programmes is running today. The right column shows what changes when a funder joins.
| Programme | Where it stands today | What your support unlocks |
|---|---|---|
 Flexible, multi-year supportWays to give |
Unrestricted grants from the Packard Foundation and the Foundation for a Just Society already keep our offices and data centre running. | Core funding over several years lets us plan ahead and say yes when members bring us urgent opportunities. |
 AIHRDFWA: human rights in francophone West Africa |
Our flagship project, funded by BMZ with support from GIZ, works with the national authorities of eight francophone West African countries on civic space, the protection of women defenders and inclusive policy. | More countries and more defenders reached, and the time to turn national commitments into lasting protection systems. |
 West African Feminist FundAbout the fund |
Grants to feminist organisations in 15 eligible West African countries, including unregistered movements through fiscal sponsorship. | More grassroots groups funded directly, with RFLD acting as the compliance layer between them and international donors. |
 Maputo Protocol HubExplore the hub |
Tracking how the 55 AU member states apply the Maputo Protocol, with resources translated into local languages. | Country-level evidence that members take to parliaments and ministries, and wider coverage of the countries still lagging. |
 Organisational Resilience Program |
Member organisations receive the RFLD Management Suite free of charge, with training in financial management and compliance. The first cohort is onboarding now. | More members able to pass donor audits and manage grants of their own, which strengthens the whole movement. |
 Defender protection and digital safetyView the compendium |
Training and practical guidance for women human rights defenders, in French and English, built on the African Digital Safety Compendium. | Training in more countries and faster support for defenders under threat. |
 Health and SRHRSee the health hub |
Grassroots advocacy on sexual and reproductive health and rights, francophone resource hubs, and last-mile malaria prevention. | More communities reached with care and information, and stronger maternal and newborn health outcomes. |
We are glad to shape a programme around your priorities. Write to programs@rflgd.org for current budgets and results frameworks.
Our governance, audits and re-granting systems are built to receive large, flexible gifts and put them to work quickly across the network.
Partnerships range from transformational multi-year gifts to a single grant that funds two grassroots organisations. Each level is costed from our real programme figures.
$5,000,000+
Unrestricted, over five years (about $1 million a year)
$1,000,000
Over three years
$300,000
One round, six months
$50,000
Six months
Key figures from our programme monitoring and audited accounts.
Our Head of Impact and Learning leads one monitoring, evaluation and learning framework across every programme. It combines gender analysis, outcome tracking and regular learning cycles, and feeds directly into how we plan.
We report to each partner on the schedule set in its grant agreement, publish every grant to the IATI standard and have our accounts audited every year. The school retention and life-goals figures come from our participant survey, July 2026. We share the data and methods behind every figure on this page with partners on request.
RFLD was part of the civil society advocacy behind Benin’s Law No. 2021-12, adopted by the National Assembly in October 2021. The law amended Benin’s 2003 law on sexual and reproductive health and widened legal access to safe abortion, a change that protects women’s lives and health.
Read about Law No. 2021-12 Watch RFLD on Al Jazeera at the time
Voices from the African Union, continental civil society and our partners across the region.
“ECOSOCC values partnerships that amplify citizen voices. RFLD sets a benchmark for how civil society can influence African Union policy.”
“The SEA-T initiative supports exactly the kind of structural strengthening African civil society needs. RFLD’s work aligns with the ACHPR’s mandate to protect defenders.”
“RFLD has built a bridge between the Maputo Protocol and grassroots implementation. The programme’s focus on women’s leadership is timely.”
“CIVICUS monitors civic space globally. RFLD’s work is a critical counter-force in West Africa.”
“WACSI endorses the capacity-building focus. RFLD is professionalising the feminist sector in West Africa.”
“The African Centre supports RFLD’s holistic approach. A new generation of rights-literate citizens is emerging across francophone Africa.”
“ActionAid values RFLD as a strategic partner. The funding allows deep, sustained community engagement on economic justice.”
For the concertation “Solidarity, Protection and Lineage of Engagement”, RFLD hosted the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, H.E. Catharina Cappelin, Ambassador of Sweden to Senegal, and Germany, represented by Ms Henriette Wolf of the German Embassy and Ms Katja Roeckel, Country Director of GIZ Senegal. Around thirty institutional actors joined women human rights defenders from across West Africa, Senegalese feminist organisations and senior journalists.
Sida funds RFLD as a consortium partner in NAFASI, and BMZ, with GIZ, funds our AIHRDFWA flagship project.
Watch the video galleryEvery credential below can be checked. We share the supporting documents with partners on request.
| Legal registration | RFLD is registered as an International Organisation in Senegal and as a non-governmental organisation in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and The Gambia. Its headquarters is the Africa Office in Accra. |
|---|---|
| African Union recognition | Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, N°553, and membership of the Working Group of the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders |
| US grantmaking | NGOsource 501(c)(3) equivalency determination, so US foundations and donor-advised funds can grant to RFLD as they would to a US public charity |
| Audits | Independent annual audits under the International Standards on Auditing, with consecutive unqualified opinions |
| Transparency | Every grant published to the IATI standard. Candid Seal of Transparency 2025 on our verified Candid profile |
| Use of funds | 79.8% of 2025 spending reached field programmes |
Gold marks unrestricted funding.
Our five-year plan sets four focus areas. Each one builds on work already under way.
Stronger democratic institutions, and protection for human rights defenders from physical and digital repression.
Faster domestication of African treaties to end gender-based violence and FGM, and to secure sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Climate policies and national budgets that respond to the needs of women most affected by climate change.
Deeper internal capacity, a growing DƆNÙESÈ Data Center and a broader base of long-term partners.
RFLD is registered as an International Organisation in Senegal and as a non-governmental organisation in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and The Gambia. Its headquarters is the Africa Office in Accra.
Nmai Dzorn, Adjiringano Rd, Eden Court, Accra
+233 53 496 8866
5ème & 6ème étage, Immeuble Cité Keur Gorgui, Résidence « AW 06 », Dakar
Our direct link to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Programmes and partnerships across Nigeria
Home of our member platform and community-level work
Led by African women, accountable to the organisations we serve.
Gloria founded RFLD in 2013 and leads its continental strategy, institutional partnerships and governance engagement across the African Union system.
Under her leadership RFLD holds Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and sits in the Working Group of its Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. She was named an African Union AGA Youth Ambassador, sits on the CHARM Africa Consortium steering committee, and in 2026 RFLD became Co-Chair of the GIZ/BMZ Africa SEA-T Advisory Council.
She holds a Master’s in Communications and Project Management and is a PhD candidate.
Communications and project management specialist with over a decade of experience in youth rights, gender equality and social development across Africa. Holds a Master’s degree in Project Management.
Previously worked at Equality Now (Kenya) and at the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) in The Gambia. Leads partnership development, resource mobilisation and strategy execution across RFLD’s six fields of intervention.
Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant (FCCA) and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana.
Oversees financial operations across six offices, ensures compliance with NGOsource 501(c)(3) equivalency standards, manages institutional donor reporting (GIZ/BMZ, Sida, AmplifyChange, Packard, FJS) and leads audit readiness across all programme delivery.
Sociologist and development practitioner with a PhD in Sociology of Development and a Master’s in Disaster Risk Management. University lecturer and researcher.
Leads programme design and implementation, with a focus on governance, conflict prevention and social inclusion, drawing on experience with national commissions on institutional reform in Benin.
Socio-anthropologist with a PhD in Socio-Anthropology, lecturer at the University of Abomey-Calavi and Executive Director of the Trois Sœurs Education Fund.
Manages grant compliance, sub-grant design and programme monitoring across the West African Feminist Fund and the Africa Grant Portfolio.
Monitoring and evaluation specialist with a background in Political Science and International Relations and a Master’s degree in Gender and Peacebuilding.
Leads the monitoring and evaluation framework across all programmes, integrating gender analysis, outcome tracking and learning cycles into institutional reporting.
Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialisation in Human Resources.
Coordinates the Executive Office, managing the Africa Director’s schedule, board liaison and institutional correspondence across our offices.
Leads our work from the Accra Africa Office and provides legal expertise on women’s rights cases, strategic litigation and legislative advocacy.
Leads national partnerships, member engagement and programme delivery from the Dakar office.
Leads national partnerships, member engagement and programme delivery from the Lagos office.
Leads national partnerships and programme delivery from the Banjul office, our ACHPR liaison.
A Board of Directors oversees governance and compliance in every country where we are registered. Meet the Board Meet our full team
Our strongest partnerships began with a short call. Tell us what you fund, and we will show you where RFLD fits.
Meet our partnerships team to discuss your priorities and the programmes that match them.
Email the partnerships teamRegistration certificates, statutes, audited accounts and policies, shared with funders on request.
Request the packGrant through a donor-advised fund or as a US foundation, using our NGOsource equivalency.
Give through your DAFCo-design a project with RFLD and our members, from research to re-granting.
Explore partnershipsGood partnerships often start with following the work. These pages keep you up to date on our results and finances.
Yes. RFLD is registered as an International Organisation in Senegal and as a non-governmental organisation in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and The Gambia. Its headquarters is the Africa Office in Accra.
Yes. RFLD holds an NGOsource 501(c)(3) equivalency determination, so US foundations and donor-advised funds can grant to it as they would to a US public charity. See Give through your DAF.
In 2025, 79.8% of our spending reached field programmes. Our accounts are audited every year under the International Standards on Auditing, with unqualified opinions.
Our advocacy covers all 55 African Union member states, with direct programmes in 15 or more countries and our deepest presence in francophone West Africa and the Sahel. We have six offices: Accra, Porto-Novo, Dakar, Banjul, Lagos and Igolo.
Yes. Through the West African Feminist Fund and the Africa Grant Portfolio, RFLD re-grants to women-led organisations, including unregistered movements through fiscal sponsorship. RFLD handles due diligence and reporting.
We work in French and English across our offices and publish key resources, such as the Maputo Protocol, in local languages including Goun, Yoruba, Hausa and Zarma.
Write to programs@rflgd.org to book an introductory call or to request our due diligence pack.
