We are very grateful to receive a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to support Her Voice Fund, allowing us to expand our grant-making to more women’s rights organisations and activists in Africa. This grant is particularly exciting because it is given in a flexible way which allows us to prioritise placing funds firmly in the hands of women and lets them decide the best way to engage in decision-making processes to bring about change in their lives and communities. This flexibility has also let us learn from our work so far and think deeply about who is missing in our grantmaking. We have begun to focus our thoughts on how best to reach smaller, unregistered associations and groups of women activists and fund them to bring about long-term change.
Long term supporter, Glen Mattock left a substantial legacy to Womankind in his Will in 2023 having first become a regular monthly donor in 2013. Following conversations with Womankind staff in the years leading up to his death, Glen discussed his wishes to specifically support young women to access the support and advice they need to complete their education, engage in vocational training and gain leadership skills to enable them to participate in decision making processes that impact on their communities and the lives of future generations of women.
In agreement with Glen’s family, his legacy has been placed into the Glen Mattock Memorial Fund and is being used over the next three years to provide strategic grant to three Womankind partner organisations working with young women; Polycom Girls and Young Women’s Leadership Institute (YWLI) in Kenya and Voices of Women Media (VOWM) in Nepal. We are very grateful to Glen and his family for entrusting Womankind and our partner organisations to ensure his legacy has a lasting impact in the lives of young women.
Our annual Gala event celebrating International Women’s Day reached new heights this year; thanks to donations from attendees, sponsorship and unique auction items (from South Africa safaris to 15 course tasting menus), the event raised over £1,2m!
On 29th February 2024 we welcomed over 400 guests from the UK’s leading banks, investment companies, equity firms and law firms at the iconic Hintze Hall, Natural History Museum, London.
Income raised from the Gala is especially valuable as it is unrestricted, meaning that we can spend it where the need is greatest and commit more than ever to share power with the women we work with.
The most compelling part of the evening was when we showed a film of an interview with Womankind’s Afghanistan Advisor, Maryam Rahmani. Maryam talked about the current lived experience for women in Afghanistan today, as well as what Womankind is doing to support Afghan women and keep their organisations alive.
We thank the Gala committee, sponsors and attendees for making our 2024 event such an incredible success; we are so excited to see where the event goes next and planning for our 2025 event is already underway!
Optibac is a family run pro biotics company who have been supporting Womankind since 2015. Our partnership began when Optibac were launching their ‘For Women’ oral supplement product and wanted to support a women’s rights charity – discovered Womankind and thought that we would be an excellent fit!
Optibac donates to Womankind for every pack of ‘For Women’ sold. In 23/24 alone they donated over £140,000 and we are amazed to say that since 2015 Optibac has donated over £820,000 of unrestricted funding.!
We really enjoy holding an annual webinar with the Optibac team to tell them more about the impact of our work, and we are so excited to watch our partnership continue to strengthen year on year. Thank you Optibac!
Afghanistan
Afghan Women’s Network (AWN)
Afghan Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC)
Women’s Regional Network (WRN)
Ethiopia
Centre for Accelerated Women’s Economic Empowerment (CAWEE)
Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA)
Ethiopian Women with Disability National Association (EWDNA)
Setaweet
Siiqqee Women’s Development Association (SWDA)
Kenya
Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW)
Federation of Women Lawyers – Kenya (FIDA Kenya)
Minority Womyn in Action (MWA)
Polycom Development Project (Polycom)
Women Challenged to Challenge (WCC)
Young Women’s Leadership Institute (YWLI)
Nepal
Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO)
LOOM
Mitini Nepal
National Indigenous Women’s Federation (NIWF)
Nepal Disabled Women’s Association (NDWA)
Saathi
Sankalpa – Women’s Alliance for Peace, Justice, and Democracy
Tewa
Voices of Women Media (VOW Media)
Women for Human Rights (WHR) Nepal
Uganda
Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP)
Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG)
Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE)
Women’s International Peace Centre (WIPC)
Mentoring & Empowerment for Young Women (MEMPROW)
National Association for Women’s Action in Development (NAWAD)
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE)
National Association of Women’s Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU)
National Union of Women with Disabilities of Uganda (NUWODU)
Zimbabwe
Deaf Women Included
Female Prisoners Support Trust (Femprist)
Musasa
Pakasipiti
Women and Land in Zimbabwe (WLZ)
Women in Politics Support Unit (WiPSU)
Women’s Action Group (WAG)
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ)
Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA)
Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA)
Pan-Africa / Regional
African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA)
Informal groups and grantees
Ethiopia
Synergy Action for Ethiopia (SAFE)
Kenya
Bungoma Big Sisters Self Help Group
ICA Foundation
Tabaka Ward Uongozi Wa Utu (TAWUWU)
Kisumo Grassroots Friends Self Help Group (KISUMO)
Utu Wetu Trust, Kenya
Femicide Count Kenya (FCK)
Feminist for Peace and Justice Centre (Kibera Feminists)
Nepal
FRESH International (Forum for the Realization of Equality, Social Justice, and Human Rights)
SUNITA Foundation
Uganda
Care for Us Uganda (CFUU)
Integrated Green Media Foundation (IGMF)
Empowered at Dusk Women’s Association (EADWA)
Zimbabwe
Adolescent Girls and Women Rights Forum (AGWRF)
Kumbe Kumbe Arts Trust
Get to know our wonderful staff team here.
We extend special thanks to all of our team members who stepped into interim roles during the period of transition into our new leadership.
We also send our deepest gratitude Caroline Haworth, Womankind’s former CEO and Twasiima Bigirwa , our former Co-Chair for their leadership and lasting contributions to Womankind’s work.
Our trustees
Olga Ghazaryan
Lusungu Kalanga
Rebecca Olschner-Wood
Vanessa Rice
Alison Stiby Harris
Dumiso Gatsha
Jenny Jones
Lauren Dark
Lubna Qunash
Maggie Baxter
Scheaffer Okore
Siobhan Allen
Susana Leith Smith
Tamara Palamakumbura
Roshana Arasaratnam
Twasiima Patricia Bigirwa
Adam Ball
Alison Jaques
Allen & Overy
Breitling
Chalk Cliff Trust
Coates and Seely
Comic Relief
Eleanor & David Holloway
Evan Cornish Foundation
Fitch Ratings
Forest Hill Charitable Trust
Goldman Sachs International
Helen Carter
Hunan
Ing Foundation
Jane & Gavin Anderson
La Prairie
Libby Isaac
Marcos Lyon
McKay Wiliamson
Michaela Christine Wolf
MV Credit
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Network for Social Change
Nick Leith-Smith
Park Square Capital
Silversea Cruises
St Clare & St Francis Charitable Trust
The Big Give
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
White & Case LLP
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Catalina Stoica
Denise Gibson
Emma Barrier
Federica Gironi
Lia Larson
Lubna Qunash
Maria Andrisani
Susana Leith-Smith
Yasmine Bassili
