GivingTuesday 2026: end violence against African women
From GivingTuesday on 1 December to 31 December 2026, RFLD aims to raise US$1 million for six causes to end violence against African women.
Last updated · October 7, 2026
GivingTuesday · 1 December 2026 · Giving season to 31 December
End violence against African women. Fund the women who stop it.
From GivingTuesday on 1 December to 31 December 2026, RFLD aims to raise US$1 million for six causes: ending gender-based violence, ending sexual harassment, stopping harmful practices, ending sex trafficking, protecting women defenders and ending online violence. Every gift reaches women-led organisations in our network.
US$0 raisedGoal US$1,000,000 · six causes
Six causes, one season
Where the US$1 million goes
Choose a cause, or give where the need is greatest. Every gift reaches women-led organisations in RFLD’s network of 1,143 members. Amounts per cause are indicative targets.
Ending gender-based violence
Shelter, medical and legal support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and community prevention led by local women’s organisations.
Ending sexual harassment
Safe reporting, legal accompaniment and workplace and school policies so women and girls can work and learn without harassment.
Stopping harmful practices
Ending female genital mutilation and child marriage with community leaders, girls, health workers and lawmakers.
Ending sex trafficking
Identifying and supporting survivors of trafficking, and pushing for laws and cross-border cooperation that hold traffickers to account.
Protecting women defenders
WAFF Urgent Action grants of up to US$5,000, decided within five business days, when a woman human rights defender comes under threat.
Ending online violence
Digital security, evidence collection and legal support for women attacked online, and better laws on technology-facilitated violence.
Cause 5 in focus: women defenders
Threats come without warning. Funding usually takes months.
A smear campaign online, a summons, an eviction, a sudden need to move a family: women human rights defenders in West Africa face these risks with little notice. Most grants take months to arrive. The WAFF Urgent Action window is open all year and decides within five business days, with grants of up to US$5,000.
Fast, flexible money is the hardest kind to raise. GivingTuesday is our chance to build it with individual donors, so that the next request does not wait.
Examples of what an urgent grant can cover
- Secure phones, data and digital security support after an online attack
- Legal fees and accompaniment to court or to the police
- Temporary safe accommodation and transport
- Psychosocial support for the defender and her family
- Rapid advocacy when a law or a space for civil society is under threat
Each grant is shaped with the organisation that requests it. Support is confidential and defenders are never named without their written consent.
How your gift travels
From your donation to a defender’s safety
The process below is the one RFLD already runs for the WAFF Fund, with audited compliance behind every grant.
You give
Online, through a US donor-advised fund, via Myriad USA, or through your employer. Every route is listed below.
The fund is pooled
Gifts are tracked by the cause you choose. Gifts without a cause go where the need is greatest.
A request arrives
A member organisation or a defender asks for support. Our team checks eligibility, risk and safeguarding.
Decision in five days
Urgent requests are decided within five business days. Programme grants follow our published grant process.
We report back
We will publish on this page what your gifts funded, without naming anyone at risk.
Choose your gift
Every amount moves the bar
Amounts are indicative examples. Pick one, or choose your own amount on the donation page. Monthly gifts count towards the goal too.
Ways to give
Give from anywhere, in the way that suits you
RFLD can receive gifts directly, and through trusted partners in the United States and beyond. Choose the route that gives you the right receipt or tax benefit.
Myriad USA American Friends Fund
RFLD has an American Friends Fund at Myriad USA, a US public charity that supports giving across borders. Gifts are tax-deductible for US donors. Through Myriad USA’s online giving page on Every.org you can give by card, PayPal, Venmo or cryptocurrency. Please mention RFLD (Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement) when you give.
Give through Myriad USA on Every.orgDonor-advised funds
RFLD holds an NGOsource Equivalency Determination, so Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, ImpactAssets, National Philanthropic Trust and community foundations can grant to us directly, with no fiscal sponsor.
Step-by-step DAF guideWorkplace giving and matching
Ask your employer whether it matches donations. Through Benevity, search for Myriad USA and choose RFLD’s fund to give, and check whether your company doubles your gift. Bright Funds and employer matching programmes are eligible too.
More on ways to giveMyriad Alliance
Myriad USA belongs to the Myriad Alliance, a network that helps donors in Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland give across borders from their own country. Write to us and we will connect you with the right partner.
finance@rflgd.orgBank transfer, stock and larger gifts
For a bank transfer, a gift of stock, a legacy gift or a gift above US$10,000, our finance team will send you the details and a receipt directly.
Request bank detailsWhy you can trust this gift
Audited and certified
RFLD is registered in Ghana, Senegal, Benin, Nigeria and The Gambia, with headquarters at the Africa Office in Accra. Independent auditors review our accounts every year.
Campaign calendar
Key dates
Gifts made any time between now and 31 December count towards the goal.
- Now to 30 November 2026Early gifts and pledges. Share the page with your network.
- Tuesday 1 December 2026GivingTuesday. The progress bar on this page is updated through the day.
- 1 to 31 December 2026Giving season. Gifts through Myriad USA and donor-advised funds count too.
- From January 2027Grants to member organisations across the six causes.
- Early 2027We publish on this page what your gifts funded.
Questions
Before you give
Is my gift tax-deductible?
For US donors, yes, when you give through Myriad USA or through a donor-advised fund, thanks to RFLD’s NGOsource equivalency. Outside the US, rules depend on your country. Write to finance@rflgd.org and we will advise, including through the Myriad Alliance.
Where exactly does the money go?
To the cause you choose among the six. Gifts without a cause go where the need is greatest. Grants go to women-led organisations in RFLD’s network, and urgent support for defenders goes through the WAFF Urgent Action window in 15 West African countries.
What if the goal is passed?
Every additional gift stays with the same cause and funds the next grants in 2027.
Can I give anonymously?
Yes. Tell us when you give, or leave the acknowledgement fields empty. Your gift will be handled in the same way.
Will you name the defenders who are helped?
No. RFLD never names or shows defenders or survivors without their written consent. Our report will describe the type of support and the countries, in aggregate.
Who can I contact?
Write to finance@rflgd.org for receipts and bank details, or admin@rflgd.org for anything else.
References
Sources and further reading
- GivingTuesday, the global day of giving held on the Tuesday after US Thanksgiving.
- Myriad USA, host of RFLD’s American Friends Fund, and its giving page on Every.org.
- Myriad Alliance for giving across borders from Europe, the UK and other countries.
- NGOsource, which issues equivalency determinations for US grantmakers.
- Giving through a donor-advised fund, RFLD’s step-by-step guide.
- The West African Feminist Fund and its Urgent Action window.
- Domestic violence, sexual violence and sex trafficking in Africa: RFLD law and data pages.
- Ending FGM in West Africa.
- Online violence against women in West and Central Africa.
- Survivor Support Toolkit.
- 27 grants, US$722,100: what RFLD’s 2026 grants show.
- RFLD financials and audited figures (source for the 79.8% and 9.78 million figures).
- Why francophone West Africa is called a philanthropic desert.
- All ways to give to RFLD.
US$1 million for six causes
Fund the women-led organisations that end violence against women and girls across Africa.
Advance gender justice with RFLD
A pan-African feminist network of 1,143 member organisations across 35+ countries — advocacy, research, re-granting and direct service delivery.