WIL Uganda - Women In Leadership

WIL Uganda was founded in June 2014 by Cianne Jones, a Family Lawyer and Gender Equality Advocate after her experience of volunteering in Uganda. Our vision is for women and girls to be in positions of leadership acting as role models for future generations whilst promoting equitable development.

We have three distinct goals:

1) Young women becoming role models and assuming positions of leadership within their community
2) Women and girls actively participating in development processes at all levels in society
3) Women and Girls having knowledge of their Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights

Through conducting a needs assessment with the women and girls of Busembatia in Iganga District (Eastern Uganda) we learned that many of them have very little opportunity to take part in decision making on personal, local and national levels.

On conducting further research we found that in Africa there is a distinct lack of female representation in the political arena with only three female heads of state in the continent. Senegal, Malawi and Liberia have become the first African countries to have female heads of state and we believe that these women are champions for change and equality in the continent.

Uganda currently has a female speaker of parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, who acts as a role model for many young women in Uganda. Rebecca Kadaga in an interview with UN women said that “the world would be a better place, better organised if women were given a voice”.

The work we do has been designed by and focuses on women and girls. Our work is needs based and came from us working from grass roots, directly engaging women and girls in the programme making process.

Throughout our time in country we have seen many programmes working with women that simply give practical skills without empowering women and girls with knowledge - or vice versa.

We believe that it is the knowledge of ones rights coupled with practical skills that will enable women and girls to actively participate in their communities and provide a platform to discuss the challenges that they are facing.