In Uganda, there is continued silencing, intimidation and oppression of defenders of
sexual and reproductive rights. Recognizing the realities faced by women who defend,
promote and protect women’s rights, particularly those who defend sexual rights and
reproductive rights, COWAD is working to
a) Adopt policies, strategies and measures to promote and protect women
human rights defenders
b) Develop local, national action plans and budgets to ensure that women
human rights defenders are free to exercise our right and responsibility to
promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in keeping with
the United Nations Human Rights Declaration of 1998;
c) Take effective measures to strengthen the access of women human rights
defenders to safety and security in their homes and places of residence, their
workplaces and in the full range of public spaces where we do this work;
d) Ensure freedom of movement for women human rights defenders both within
national borders and between borders as women human rights defenders
organize on and promote and protect women’s rights;
e) Defend the rights of those women who are forced to the margins of society
and are subjected to multiple discrimination and oppressions, including
sexually active young women, women living with HIV, single women, sex
workers, refugee women, lesbian women and women who have sex with
women
f) End impunity for acts of violence and attacks on women human rights
defenders whether perpetrated by state or non-state actors

Since 2010, COWAD has identified and mentored young people from around Uganda
to advocate for local and national policies that further sexual and reproductive rights.
Because engaging in advocacy can be challenging, COWAD holds hands-on
workshops to prepare young people for negotiations with government officials. Called
Advocacy in Practice, these multi-day trainings involve deep learning and team building.
Participants develop a common language to address sexual and reproductive health
and rights, and use techniques such as role play to approach their government officials.
The Advocacy in Practice workshops are meant to empower young advocates to
enable them apply advocacy skills. Advocates then return to their communities better
equipped to lobby their local governments for policies in support of sexual and
reproductive health and rights.

Local women’s groups are the most effective driver of change for women’s rights,
everywhere. For nearly 10 years, COWAD has financially supported feminists and
women’s groups in more than 80 districts across Uganda that advance sexual and
reproductive health and rights of women and girls.
COWAD employs a trust-based philanthropy model that provides sustained and flexible
funding as well as customized technical assistance defined in consultation with each
feminist or women’s group. We listen to our members and partners and create a true
partnership that supports their strategic priorities, fortifies the work of their groups and
bolsters a movement of resilient advocates who fight for sexual and reproductive rights.
COWAD grantmaking is bold—focused on the policy issues that local advocates have
identified as most strategic, and often, most difficult. This approach has helped achieve
groundbreaking victories for women and girls, including the integration of
comprehensive sexuality education into school curricula; Improved access to youth-
centered and gender-based violence services; Legislative and policy reforms that
increase and/or protect access to abortion; and strengthened local advocacy networks

Ambitious advocacy requires renewal, and COWAD continues to identify new
partnerships, strategies, and opportunities to advance the rights of women and girls in
Uganda
Our financial support to feminists and women’s groups ranges between $100-$1000. To
apply for a small grant, contact grants@cowad.org

COWAD works to ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights remain at the very
centre of development. The International Conference on Population and Development
draws a clear connection between reproductive health, human rights and sustainable
development. When sexual and reproductive health needs are not met, individuals are
deprived of the right to make crucial choices about their own bodies and futures, with a
cascading impact on their families’ welfare and future generations. And because women
bear children, and also often bear the responsibility for nurturing them, sexual and
reproductive health and rights issues cannot be separated from gender equality.
Cumulatively, the denial of these rights exacerbates poverty and gender inequality.