Young Women for Awareness,
Agency, Advocacy & Accountability
โThrough YW4A, young women have the opportunity to take part in several activities that help young women develop a better understanding of the obstacles and problems that they face in societyโฆI hope that we, as young women, reach a point where we are able to lead change, contribute to raising awareness of womenโs issues, and train other young women who need to know and demand their rights and protect themselves,โ
Wallah, 23, Ramallah, Palestine.
The YW4A Initiative’s strategic objective is to defend and expand the fulfilment of young womenโs rights to dignity, bodily integrity and equal participation in decision-making, through the implementation of gender-just policies and laws in Egypt, Kenya, Palestine and South Sudan.
YW4A supports the agency and capacity building of 17,540 young women and 27 womenโs rights and faith-based organisations in Egypt, Kenya, Palestine and South Sudan. The objective to enhance their individual and collective transformative actions to advocate and hold decision-makers accountable for womenโs rights. This is to be achieved through four interconnected and intrinsically linked pathways.
LATEST YW4A UPDATES
YW4A Stories of Leadership: Melody Breaking Chains and Welding Her Future
YW4A Stories of Leadership: Lina’s Fight for Change and Recognition
Poetry: A South Sudanese Girl’s Future Matters
YW4A Stories of Leadership: Suad’s SVRI2024 Story
YW4A Stories of Leadership: Yasmin’s SVRI2024 Story
YW4A Stories of Leadership: Beatrice’s SVRI2024 Story
YW4A Stories of Leadership: Hala A-Rishq Showcases YW4A’s Impact on Young Women in Palestine
YW4A Stories of Leadership: Tala Hamdan’s Extraordinary Opportunity on a Personal and Professional Level
Surviving Violence, Fighting Stigma in South Sudan
A Case for YW4A: Key Takeaways from #SVRIForum2024
YW4A ON SOCIAL MEDIA
๐ Meet Hala A-Rishq: Showcasing #YW4Aโs Impact on Young Women in Palestine ๐
…Through the #YW4A programme, Hala participated in the #RiseUp! Methodology leadership training, which marked a turning point in her life.
๐ฌ Hala shares:
โThrough the training, I gained the tools and skills necessary to confront the challenges I face, which greatly boosted my self-confidence.โ
Hala now creates safe spaces for young women, training them on key issues such as domestic violence, electronic blackmail, and political participation. She created a support group for young women in Anata refugee camp, building a community for sharing knowledge and encouraging participation in decision-making processes.
Halaโs journey highlights the transformative power of the YW4A initiative and leadership training in building a future where young women thrive. ๐
๐ Read more about Halaโs inspiring story and the impact of YW4A: https://yw4a.org/yw4a-stories-of-leadership-hala-a-rishq-showcases-yw4as-impact-on-young-women-in-palestine/
Faith to Action Network Equality Now KIT Royal Tropical Institute Young Women's Christian Association – YWCA Kenya YWCA Palestine Christian Agency For Peace and Development
๐ Consultancy Opportunity! ๐
The World YWCA is seeking qualified consultants for the… External End Evaluation of the Young Women for Awareness, Agency, Advocacy, and Accountability (#YW4A) programme.
๐ Deadline: 17 February 2025,
๐ More information: https://www.worldywca.org/team/consultancy-external-end-evaluation/
Meet Tala Hamdan, a passionate youth and human rights activist from Palestine. Through the #YW4A …programme, Tala participated in the #RiseUp! Methodology training, connecting with young women globally and advocating for womenโs rights.
๐ฌ Tala shares:
โThe training helped me build new relationships with young women from various communities, academic, and social backgrounds. We shared expertise, experiences, and ideas while gaining new knowledge to advocate for womenโs rights and achieve social justice.โ
Through the YW4A programme, Tala gained opportunities to share her knowledge with young women, including refugees, through platforms like the Sharek Youth Forum and Ramallah Womenโs Training Center (RWTC). She also attended meetings and training with women from across the globe.
Talaโs journey highlights how supporting young women through international collaboration creates lasting impact. ๐
Read more about Tala's inspiring story and the impact of YW4A: https://yw4a.org/yw4a-stories-of-leadership-tala-hamdans-extraordinary-opportunity-on-a-personal-and-professional-level/
Faith to Action Network Equality Now KIT Royal Tropical Institute Young Women's Christian Association – YWCA Kenya YWCA Palestine Ibrahimia Media Center – ู
ุฑูุฒ ุงูุฅุจุฑุงููู
ูุฉ ููุฅุนูุงู
r
Christian Agency For Peace and Development
๐ Consultancy Opportunity! ๐
The World YWCA is seeking qualified consultants for the… External End Evaluation of the Young Women for Awareness, Agency, Advocacy, and Accountability (#YW4A) programme.
๐ Deadline: 17 February 2025,
๐ More information on the consultancy and how to apply: https://www.worldywca.org/team/consultancy-external-end-evaluation/
Faith to Action Network Equality Now KIT Royal Tropical Institute Young Women's Christian Association – YWCA Kenya YWCA Palestine Ibrahimia Media Center – ู
ุฑูุฒ ุงูุฅุจุฑุงููู
ูุฉ ููุฅุนูุงู
Christian Agency For Peace and Development
In South Sudan, women face not only gender-based violence but also the stigma that follows. This …article shares the story of a young survivor and highlights the efforts of Arafa Juma and the Islamic Council, supported by the #YW4A initiative, to promote gender equality and support womenโs leadership.
These two stories, side by side, underscore the urgent need for cultural and systemic change to support survivors of violence and reinforce the efforts of those advocating for gender justice in South Sudan.
๐ Read more: https://yw4a.org/surviving-violence-fighting-stigma-in-south-sudan/
The #YW4A Initiative continues to drive impactful solutions for addressing #SGBV. Insights from …#SVRIForum2024 showcased innovative strategies and the urgent need to sustain efforts for gender justice.
๐ Tech-Enabled Support: Real-time tools like WhatsApp-based systems improve response times and survivor care.
๐ Holistic Support Models: One-Stop Centres provide integrated medical, legal, and psychosocial support.
๐ Community-Led Data: Participatory research ensures interventions reflect young womenโs lived experiences.
๐ Prevention Through Education: School-based programmes empower youth to challenge harmful gender norms.
๐ Sustainable Funding Models: Diversifying funding secures the future of impactful programmes.
These learnings highlight the importance of investing in YW4A to build on its successes and expand its impact in South Sudan, Palestine, Kenya, and Egypt.
๐ Read more: https://yw4a.org/a-case-for-yw4a-key-takeaways-from-svriforum2024/
YW4A EVENTS
THE CONSORTIUM
The programme, led by the World YWCA, is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, by a consortium of eight core partners and 22 local womenโs rights and faith-based organisations.
Read intergenerational opinions and stories of young
women and women driving social change for gender
equality, leadership and eliminating SGBV