Flagship programme · Participatory Governance
PAWELE.
Programme for African Women’s Empowerment, Leadership and Equality
PAWELE prepares women and girls to lead, and works with their communities and institutions so that this leadership is welcomed and protected. It is RFLD’s flagship governance programme, built on treaties African states have already adopted.
Our strengths
Four pillars working at the same time.
Durable change in women’s political participation happens when the individual, the community, the institution and the evidence base move together. PAWELE works on all four at once.
01 · Leadership development.
Maputo Protocol, Article 9
Skills, networks and material support for women and girls to take leadership roles in public, civic and economic life, including in fragile and crisis-affected areas.
- Training on rights, leadership, civic engagement and advocacy
- Functional literacy for women in under-served areas
- Mentoring for girls, including support to return to school
- Social entrepreneurship and economic-resilience support
- Intergenerational mentoring between experienced women and young activists
- Annual Regional Forums on women’s leadership in local and national governance
02 · Community engagement.
Maputo Protocol, Articles 5 and 17
Change led from within communities, so that women’s leadership is supported by the people around them.
- Community Dialogues with religious and traditional authorities
- Mixed forums with men and boys on gender norms
- Mobile awareness sessions using the arts
- Networks of men who publicly support women’s leadership
- Young women’s advocacy on international days for women’s rights
- Women’s cooperatives and income-generating activities
03 · Institutional advocacy.
ACDEG, Article 8
Work with parliaments, ministries, courts and security services so that laws on women’s rights, quotas and GBV protection are applied in practice.
- Training for police and judicial actors on women’s rights and GBV protocols
- GBV referral protocols across health, police and legal-aid services
- Training for chiefs, religious leaders and municipal officials
- Gender-responsive training for TV, community radio and online media
- Parliamentary advocacy through the West Africa Legislative Platform
- Engagement with ACHPR mechanisms under RFLD’s Observer Status
04 · Evidence & research.
Knowledge infrastructure
Field experience turned into continental evidence that supports legislative reform, ACDEG tracking and advocacy at the African Union.
- An RFLD-authored continental strategy on women’s leadership in governance
- Action-research on cultural, security and economic barriers
- Open data through the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center, ACDEG Hub and Legislative Platform
- Regional awards for gender-sensitive media production
- Publications shared with universities across the continent
The opportunity
The law is already on women’s side.
Three continental commitments give PAWELE a clear mandate. Our job is to help states deliver on them.
- Maputo Protocol, Article 9: states commit to positive action for women’s equal participation in political and decision-making processes.
- ACDEG, Article 8: states commit to end gender discrimination and ensure women’s full participation in decision-making.
- Maputo Protocol, Articles 13 and 17: women’s rights to economic and social welfare and to a positive cultural context.
We track progress through RFLD’s Maputo Protocol Hub and the West Africa Legislative Platform.
Why it makes an impact
Closing the gap between promise and practice.
PAWELE works alongside the WAFF Fund, the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center, the Maputo Protocol Hub and our member organisations, so every pillar is backed by resources, data and local partners.
Women gain the skills, networks and confidence to stand for leadership.
Families and leaders come to support women who lead.
Laws on participation and protection are applied in practice.
Data holds states to the commitments they have made.
“Treaties are easy to ratify and hard to live by. PAWELE closes the distance between what African states have promised and what women experience in their political lives.”
Who we work with
Everyone who shapes who can lead.
If funders invest
What your investment in PAWELE unlocks.
The four pillars are running today. Multi-year funding lets us follow women from training into office and measure what changes.
Leadership development
Training, mentoring and annual Regional Forums across 15+ countries.
Multi-year leadership cohorts with follow-up support through election and appointment cycles.
Community engagement
Community Dialogues with traditional and religious leaders and networks of male allies.
Dialogues in more districts, run by trained local facilitators from our member organisations.
Institutional advocacy
Parliamentary advocacy through the West Africa Legislative Platform and training for justice and security actors.
Sustained work with parliaments and ministries on quotas, GBV protocols and their implementation.
Evidence & research
Open data through the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center, the ACDEG Hub and the Legislative Platform.
Regular country scorecards on women’s political participation that funders and governments can use.
PAWELE is ready to grow. We would welcome a conversation about a multi-year partnership, a country expansion or support for a leadership cohort.
Engage with PAWELE