Actualising inclusivity, gender equity in East Africa is best way

In East Africa, a new era of sophisticated philanthropy is emerging, driven by the pursuit of inclusivity and gender equity. The region’s philanthropic landscape is witnessing transformative initiatives led by visionary individuals who navigate the intricate nexus of activism and philanthropy. These efforts acknowledge that true progress lies in dismantling systemic barriers that hinder marginalized communities, placing a profound emphasis on empowering women and girls.

In this case, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has a long history of championing gender equality and ensuring equal opportunities for women and men across all our areas of work. Dedicated to improving the lives of the most marginalized people in the world, regardless of their faith, gender, or ethnicity, AKF works to address the underlying beliefs and practices that create and reinforce gender and social inequalities.

Across its programming, it places significant emphasis on empowering women and promoting their active participation in decision-making processes. Here, the initiatives focus on providing women with education, skills training, and access to resources, enabling them to become leaders in their communities and contributing to their overall socio-economic empowerment.

To ensure effective implementation, one of its undertakings is a comprehensive gender assessment across its programming and works closely with community leaders and influencers to build trust and ensure buy-in and ownership of the projects. In practice, it believes that engaging community-based structures, such as local government authorities (LGAs), women and youth groups, fosters open dialogue and community-based responses to key gender inequality issues in the areas of intervention.

Here, education is a key area of impact as it recognizes its transformative power in advancing gender equality. In implementation, it has implemented projects that focus on improving access to quality education, particularly for girls, by addressing barriers such as cultural norms, poverty, and lack of infrastructure. By providing teacher training, education, community of practice, reading programs, and establishing community libraries, it ensures that both girls and boys have equal opportunities to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values.

This is with the realization that women in East Africa bear a disproportionate burden from the climate crisis, facing various challenges related to household responsibilities, education, nutrition, agriculture, and mining. The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) recognizes this and strives to empower women across its climate resilience programs. Hence, it supports regenerative agriculture, amplifies women’s role in natural input production and extension services, and promotes women entrepreneurs in the green sector.

Most recently the AGA Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) in consortium with University Service Canada (WUSC) and Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) implemented, The Accelerating Women Climate Entrepreneurs Project- an initiative focused on addressing barriers and opportunities for women entrepreneurs to grow climate-related business in Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, AWCE:

• Strengthened local organizations to better support women who are starting a climate-related business, with services that respond to their specific and unique needs.
• Built the skills and knowledge of local organizations to apply a climate change and gender lens to their business operations.
• Engaged business incubators, accelerators, investors, research institutes, organizations, and national governments on integrating gender equality and climate change into climate finance and investment portfolios.

In Tanzania, 15 women climate entrepreneurs (WCE) graduated from the investment readiness program with six of them raising over USD 170,000 from respected international organizations. Another four received were linked to the Gracia Marcel Foundation for climate entrepreneurship funding two of whom have been selected to advance to the next stage while undergoing coaching and mentorship.

It also led with women empowerment in the agriculture sector across several value chains. This includes the opportunity for women to adopt regenerative agriculture practices, a flagship model within our Agriculture and Food Security and Climate Resilience work. In addition, AKF has leveraged agriculture based CBSGs and farmers groups which are primarily made-up of women to promote financial literacy, digital savings opportunities, and even social and behavior change messaging across thematic focus areas. In this way, the role of rural women within agriculture is seen as a sustainable and long-term pathway for the integration of gender equality.

In practice, the institution values and harnesses the power of civil society to promote public good. By strengthening civil society organizations (CSOs) in East Africa, AKF invests in sustainable institutions and relationships that will drive future action. We collaborate with CSOs and local governments to enhance their capacity and deliver integrated, innovative, and gender-responsive interventions in various areas including agriculture, food security, climate resilience, early childhood development, education, health and nutrition, and work and enterprise. In 2021, its programmes, such as the YETU Initiative and Advancing Gender Equality through Civil Society (AGECS), supported over 6,200 CSOs in East Africa, including self-help groups, grassroots organizations, community-based savings groups, business associations, farmers’ groups, and community health committees. These CSOs reached more than 145,470 individuals, with 64.5% being women and girls. Additionally, AKF worked with 122 sub-governmental agencies in the region to strengthen their capacity for collective action.

Through these efforts and many more, the Aga Khan Foundation has consistently demonstrated its commitment to advancing gender equality, empowering women, and addressing the systemic barriers that hinder women’s full participation in society.

As it navigates the complexities of the present, the institution invites philanthropists, activists, and stakeholders to join on this transformative journey. In this future of empowerment and equality, philanthropic organizations, under the leadership of passionate individuals, play a pivotal role in shaping policies and influencing social change. Together, we can unlock the immense potential of East Africa and create a future where empowerment and equality are not just ideals but lived realities.