08 03 2026
Blog
On the occasion of March 8, 2026 — International Women's Rights Day
Preface
This year, the theme of International Women's Day, "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL women and girls," resonates as an urgent call to action. A call that echoes the realities that millions of women and girls face every day, profound obstacles that jeopardize their personal and social development and advancement.
And yet, on the ground, they are resisting and transforming not only their own lives, but also those of their communities.
Through the Essential Voices initiative, we support 76 grassroots community organizations in six countries in West and Central Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Senegal) to ensure that women and girls have a say in decisions that affect their health, safety, and future.
The following five stories are no exception. They illustrate what becomes possible when women are accompanied, supported, and recognized as agents of change. They tell of rights claimed, justice obtained, and actions taken where sometimes the context made victory impossible.
On March 8, we are sharing the achievements of five of our organizations. Because their voices are essential.
In the Couffo department of Benin, where malaria incidence exceeded 57% in 2025, the Reine Adjignon Natabou Foundation (FRAN) has launched an ambitious advocacy campaign to accelerate the elimination of malaria by 2030.
As the disease continues to hit communities hard, women and girls are among those most at risk. Yet they remain too often absent from decision-making spaces: excluded from strategies, invisible in the development of responses.
To anchor change in local realities and better respond to community needs, FRAN mobilized women religious, traditional, and community leaders. Together, they brought the voices of the most vulnerable households to decision-makers and played a key role at every stage of the process.
Working hand in hand, they organized community consultations in the municipalities of Klouékanmè, Toviklin, and Lalo, led an awareness-raising caravan that reached more than 1,000 people, and co-developed 2026 action plans incorporating gender-sensitive measures.
This mobilization led to a historic result: the signing of a charter of commitment by the Prefect of Couffo and the mayors of the municipalities, recognizing the need to allocate budgetary resources dedicated to the fight against malaria.
This breakthrough demonstrates a key reality: when women's leadership is recognized, organized, and supported, health policies change. Women are no longer mere beneficiaries of programs—they become actors and architects of the decisions that shape their future.
In Côte d'Ivoire, gender-based violence remains too often buried in silence. Marie-France Kouakou has chosen to make it visible through images, words, and action.
A communications specialist and expert in gender and development, she founded the NGO Overcome Women with one conviction: to change attitudes so that no woman is ever again a victim of violence. Under her leadership, the organization develops innovative community programs, organizes awareness-raising caravans mobilizing thousands of people across the country, and produces films that give a human face to realities that are often silenced. Among them is Silence Mortel, a deeply moving thriller about domestic and sexual violence, screened at our event in Dakar in partnership with our partner Canal+ as part of the 16 Days of Activism.
Marie-France Kouakou does not stop at the field. Her commitment has opened the doors to the highest authorities: consultant to the World Bank and the UNESCO Chair on Women and Decision-Making, appointed in February 2025 as Country Chair of the G100, the network of the world's most influential women, she joined the Ivorian Ministry in 2026. Women and Decision-Making, and appointed Country Chair of the G100, the network of the world's most influential women, in February 2025, she joined the Ivorian Ministry of Women, Family, and Children in 2026 as Director of Women's Economic Empowerment.
From civil society to decision-making spheres, Marie-France Kouakou embodies what Voix EssentiELLES holds dear in its mission: organized women whose leadership transforms policies, practices, and perspectives in the service of communities.
In Saaba, a rural community on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, violence against women and children was a daily occurrence and considered inevitable. In a predominantly illiterate population, women were unaware of their rights, financially dependent on their spouses, and often lived in isolation. Thirty of them had been identified by the Association Soutien aux Enfants et Femmes Vulnérables (ASEFV) as survivors of gender-based violence, with no safety net, no recourse, and no prospects.
ASEFV opted for a comprehensive response: not only supporting victims, but transforming the dynamics of the entire community. Its headquarters became a shelter for women and children in distress. Listening circles were set up so that women could talk, be heard, and rebuild their lives. Capacity-building sessions have been organized for local men. And when alerts come in from other local associations, ASEFV mobilizes its network to find collective solutions.
But the organization went even further: aware that economic dependence is one of the main drivers of violence, it organized training sessions to empower women about their rights and introduce them to entrepreneurship. Three months after the training, the majority of participants had launched their own income-generating activities. Among them, Rihanata Bamogo, 50, testifies: "Before the training, I had lost confidence in myself. Today, with my small Kokodonda business, I earn a decent living and take care of my family. I have regained a useful and respected place in my community." Rihanata is now asked to share her experience at talks on women's rights and organizes training sessions for other women herself.
What ASEFV has built in Saaba is a chain of solidarity: associations that help each other, men who educate themselves, women who get back on their feet and, in turn, reach out to others.
In the Savanes region in northern Togo, women had long been excluded from decisions that shaped their daily lives. Community councils, local budgets, development plans—everything was decided without them. Patriarchal norms, resistance from traditional leaders, and a lack of confidence among women themselves perpetuated this exclusion.
Faced with this situation, the Women and Development Network (REFED), a member organization of Voix EssentiELLES, has engaged in methodical and patient advocacy: visits to the governor, prefects, mayors, and 18 canton chiefs in the prefecture of Tône, leadership-building workshops, radio campaigns, and mixed community dialogues. This multi-pronged strategy and sustained effort aims to challenge "norms" and finally enable women to influence decisions that affect them.
The results are now concrete and historic.
Ms. TIAME Namgore, 53, now serves as a municipal councilor for the commune of Tône 4. I used to think that these responsibilities were reserved for men. Thanks to training and advocacy, I have come to understand that my voice matters.
Ms. DOUTI GOURYAMA Yendoukoi, 45, was elected Deputy Mayor of Tandjouéré 1 in July 2025, a historic first for the municipality. "I am proof that when women are trained and supported, they can transform their communities."
Ms. N’GAME Tchandame, 56, became the first female mayor of the municipality of Oti-Sud 1, in a community where, in her own words, “women were meant to have children and stay at home.”
Three women. Three municipalities. One movement: that of an organization which, thanks to the support of Voix EssentiELLES, has been able to transform advocacy into real power.
Ramatoulaye Dia saw her future slip away when decisions were made for her. Like many young girls in her Fulani community in Ouro Mollo, in the Matam region of Senegal, she was married at an early age. Her path was then set, according to the cultural expectations of her region, and taking care of her home became her only priority, to the detriment of her studies.
Ramatoulaye's life changed when she joined a girls' association in her hometown of Matam. There, she learned about her rights, regained her self-confidence, and found the strength to make decisions for her own well-being. This association is AMFE Senegal (Association pour le Maintien des Filles à l'École), an organization supported by Voix EssentiELLES. A little over a year after joining, she left her marriage. Not to break with her community, but to find herself.
She continued her studies, obtained her high school diploma, and is now pursuing a university degree in geography, specializing in climatology. Rewriting her story has led her to reach out to other girls in her community who are also deprived of their rights.
Today, Ramatoulaye raises awareness in schools, facilitates intergenerational community dialogues, and advocates for girls' education in local forums. In Ouro Mollo, she brings together the village chief, the imam, dignitaries, and religious leaders around the same table to openly address the issue of female genital mutilation and early marriage.
What Voix EssentiELLES has supported here is not just one woman's journey. It is the transformation of a beneficiary into a leader capable of influencing her family, her peers, and the guardians of social and moral power in her community.
Rights. Justice. Action. These are not just words. They come to life in the stories of Ramatoulaye, Marie-France, Hortense, N'Game, Tiame, Douti, and thousands of other women and girls whom our organizations support every day.
In a context where funding is declining and rights are being challenged, these stories remind us of an essential truth: that change is possible. And often, it starts with a woman who decides to take her place, a woman who raises her voice, inspires others to follow her lead, and paves the way for a more just future for all.