Leading from the South- General Programme 2019

Leading from the South is an initiative conceptualized for Women’s Funds working on women’s rights issues and gender equality within Africa and the MENA region, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and globally. The fund is managed by four prominent Women’s Funds: Fondo de Mujeres del Sur –FMS- (Latin America and the Caribbean), the African Women’s Development Fund –AWDF- (Africa and the MENA Region), the South Asia Women Fund –SAWF- (Asia) and the International Indigenous Women’s Forum –FIMI- (Global); supported and financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. The aim of the initiative is to resource and support Women’s Rights Organisations (Small grassroots, Intermediate, Large and consortium/Networks) in the Global South in their advocacy work to achieve gender equality. African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is a Pan-African grant making organisation that funds local, national and regional autonomous women’s rights organisations in Africa and the Middle East, that are working towards the promotion and realisation African Women’s Rights. Since the beginning of its operation in 2001, AWDF has awarded grants and provided technical support to over 1,340 women’s organisations in 43 out of the 54 countries in Africa.