Women’s Voice and Leadership in Senegal (WVL - Senegal)

Women’s and girls’ rights have changed a great deal in recent decades in Senegal. The country has signed several international conventions and adopted national policies promoting gender equality. Still, social, cultural and legal (customary law) constraints limit women’s access to education, property, inheritance, land and decision-making bodies.

Organizations defending the rights of women and girls have played a central role in getting laws passed that promote gender equality in Senegal. Yet, despite these advances, women’s movements are still facing challenges such as succession, funding, mobilizing the population, and ensuring their own long-term viability.

The WVL - Senegal project aims to support organizations and networks promoting women’s and girls’ rights. It strengthens their operations, increases the scope and quality of their services, and builds their capacity for social monitoring and advocacy. The ultimate goal of the project is for women and girls in Senegal to fully avail themselves of their rights, and to advance gender equality in the country.

Institutional strengthening of organizations and women’s networks

Local community organizations are the key stakeholders in defending women’s rights, promoting women’s leadership and advancing gender equality in Senegal. The project aims to build their institutional, human, technical and financial capacities. We coach these organizations and networks in adopting innovative management and programming practices to support their viability. We pay particular attention to organizations that represent vulnerable or marginalized women and girls. 

Optimizing services for women and girls 

Sexual and gender-based violence remain all too common in Senegal. CECI works with women’s organizations and networks to optimize the quality of services they offer to women and girls by adopting innovative approaches. The project activities especially build the capacities of our partners to improve their care for victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

Increasing effectiveness of women’s rights advocacy

To enable women’s organizations and networks to make their voices heard and have greater influence on the laws and policies that affect them, CECI is providing capacity-building support for advocacy activities and effective social monitoring. We also promote collaboration with other strategic stakeholders, such as customary and religious leaders, and political and technical leaders. 

Ultimately, our goal is to make women’s rights a reality that benefits Senegalese society as a whole.