women gaining ground

Women Gaining Ground (WGG) is a global South-led consortium of three organizations: CREA as the lead organization; Akili Dada; and International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW), that works across five countries in South Asia and East Africa through 16 strategic partner organizations.

The WGG consortium builds the capacity and transformative leadership of young women and girls, and women with disabilities (WWDs), through cross-movement alliances to change norms, attitudes, laws, and policies around the interconnected issues of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and the lack of women’s political empowerment. WGG aims to equip women and girls with the necessary tools and skills to be architects of a society free from violence, and lead political and social transformation to redefine, prevent, and eliminate SGBV.

Since its inception in 2021, the consortium has initiated capacity-building sessions, outreach and advocacy with state and non-state duty bearers, work with women to increase their participation in local governance, and learning sessions on the international treaties, The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Now in its third year, the consortium will revisit assumptions, consider emerging and urgent challenges and changes in context, and address existing and new approaches to monitoring, evaluating, and learning work.

our strategies

• Feminist Leadership and Mentorship Capacitating new women leaders, including WWDs and young women, on feminist leadership, to build inclusive movements and alliances.
• Building Inclusive Movements and Alliances Leverage collective expertise, networks, and access to key women’s rights advocacy and movement spaces at the national, regional, and international levels to ensure that young women and WWD leaders have equal knowledge and access to various women’s rights advocacy and movement spaces to reclaim their rights
• Direct Advocacy Convince state and non-state duty bearers by supporting alliances between local partners and with existing WRO partners and explore spaces for dialogue between young women, girls and WWDs and state and non-state duty bearers
• Research and Documentation Build learning and evidence to deepen our understanding of core issues of GBV and political participation of young women and girls and to navigate regional and international advocacy mechanisms.
• Creating Counter-Narratives and Alternative Solutions Holding the media and non-duty bearers accountable by creating alternative feminist content and stories for lifting the voices of marginalized communities.

strategic partners

The WGG Consortium works with 16 local strategic partners (a cohort of women’s rights, disability rights, and young people-led organizations) to represent a unique approach to inclusive alliance-building. All consortium and local partners co-develop activities, and obligations are rooted in mutual ownership and accountability. Shared goals, trust, and mutual understanding are underlying principles of the partnership.

partner organizations