RFLD is launching Yéego Jigéen, a new programme that gives grassroots women’s organisations in Senegal flexible grants and tailored accompaniment so that they can grow stronger on their own terms. Each selected organisation will receive USD 20,000 and a full year of support. Over two cohorts, the programme will fund 50 organisations.
The programme is run by RFLD’s Senegal office in Dakar. In Senegal, RFLD is registered by the Government as an International Organisation, and the country is home to one of our francophone hubs.
Why grassroots organisations
Across Senegal, women’s associations and collectives are often the first to respond when a woman faces violence, loses her land or is shut out of local decisions. They know their communities and they stay when projects end. Yet they are rarely funded directly. Most support reaches them through several intermediaries, tied to activities chosen elsewhere, with reporting rules written for much larger institutions.
Our research on funding for feminist movements in francophone West Africa shows how small a share of resources reaches these groups, and how much the language barrier keeps francophone organisations away from international funding. Yéego Jigéen answers that gap in one country, with funding that goes straight to the organisations doing the work.
What Yéego Jigéen offers
The USD 20,000 grant strengthens the organisation itself. Each organisation decides how to use it according to its own priorities, for example salaries, equipment, accounting or strategy. Nothing has to be repaid.
The year of accompaniment starts with an assessment of each organisation’s strengths and needs, carried out together and repeated at the end to measure progress. Training is chosen from that assessment, on topics such as financial management and audit, monitoring and evaluation, resource mobilisation, advocacy, safeguarding and digital security. Organisations also receive regular mentoring and meet the rest of their cohort, in French and in Wolof.
Selected organisations will have free access to the RFLD Management Suite, our bilingual tool for accounting, human resources, programmes and reporting, and to the legal data in our DƆNÙESÈ Data Center.
Who can apply
Yéego Jigéen is open to organisations registered and active in Senegal, led by women and working for the rights of women and girls. Their annual budget must not exceed USD 200,000, about 112 million FCFA. Young and small organisations are welcome, including those that have never received an international grant.
The programme covers all 14 regions of Senegal. Each applicant chooses the single region where it mainly works, and at least 60% of each cohort will work mainly outside the Dakar region. An organisation needs to be active in only one of the three areas the programme supports: the safety of women and girls, economic and social autonomy, and climate resilience.
An independent selection committee will review the applications and build cohorts balanced across regions and areas of work.
How to apply
The Yéego Jigéen programme page explains eligibility and the calendar in detail. The application form is in French and has 33 questions. Applicants should prepare their registration certificate, a report they have published and at least one proof of their work in the field, such as photos, a press article or a letter from a local authority.
Questions about Yéego Jigéen can be sent to communications.info@rflgd.org or through the form on the programme page. Organisations that want to follow the programme can subscribe to our newsletter. Funders and partners who wish to support grassroots women’s organisations in Senegal or elsewhere in francophone Africa can write to our partnerships team at gbenagnon.john@rflgd.org.
Yéego Jigéen is a programme of the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD).
