WCW has been implemented in five countries of the Greater Horn of Africa Region, that is to say Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia by a consortium of five southern-led women’s rights organizations; namely the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), FIDA Uganda, NAGAAD Network, MUSAWAH and led by SIHA Network.
SIHA Network
Borne of the social justice movement, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network is an indigenous African women’s rights network with a soul. We are convinced beyond any doubt that if African women are given the space, they will drive change in this region and beyond. Defying presumptions about African women, SIHA has been carried on the shoulders of numerous African women’s rights activists and has been sustained by their relentless commitment to their cause.
The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) is a non-profit women’s advocacy group founded by Ethiopian women lawyers. Since its establishment in 1996 through its three major programs (legal research, public education and legal aid), EWLA has been addressing the issue of violence against women among many other issues. It has also made successful advocacy work which brought about law reforms on the family law, pension law and the criminal code which now has separately addressed domestic violence as a crime.
Formed in 1974, the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA Uganda) is a membership-based feminist organisation that provides legal aid services through a strategic network of offices reaching into 20 districts across the country. FIDA Uganda has an established track record of promoting and defending human rights, with a focus on the rights of women and children. As a feminist organisation, FIDA Uganda uses multiple strategies aimed at advancing law and policy reform for the protection of women including advocacy, public interest litigation and various forms of public engagement.
Nagaad was formed to serve as an organized, collective voice of women who were determined to fight for their socio-economic and political rights as equal citizens of Somaliland. Nagaad advocates for women and children’s empowerment and to work towards achieving an egalitarian society where women, children and men are equally significant. Currently, NAGAAD is consisting representation of 46 women’s organizations across the country.
Musawah (‘equality’ in Arabic) is a global movement for equality and justicein the Muslim family. Musawah is comprised of NGOs, activists, scholars, legal practitioners, policy makers, and grassroots women and men from around the world. We work for the advancement of human rights for women in Muslim contexts, in both their public and private lives. The time for equality and justice is now!