ABOUT WiLDAF-Ghana

WiLDAF-Ghana was registered as a non-governmental organisation under the Ghana Company's Code with Registration Number (49,323) in 1993.

WiLDAF-Ghana was formed by a group of women who participated in a women’s rights Africa meeting held in Harare, Zimbabwe in February 1990. It was at that meeting that WiLDAF was formed.

Having identified ignorance as one of the factors that hinder the development of women, WiLDAF-Ghana has embarked on a rights awareness programme in the country to address some of the issues. In view of the fact that the few legal education programmes that exist in the country do not reach every part of the country, the WiLDAF programme, by training people from the various districts in the regions, is able to extend its coverage to many more people. So far, of the nine regions in which the training has been completed, nearly 80% of the districts have been covered.

In line with its objectives, WiLDAF Ghana has trained over four hundred leaders of grassroots organisations on legal education and leadership skills since September 1992. This training has equipped women leaders with the basic knowledge and skills to enable them to further train their members and communities to make use of laws, specifically laws related to:

• intestate succession
• marriage and divorce
• wills
• maintenance of children.

Helping women to articulate their needs could form the basis for future planning for rights awareness programmes and law reform.

These trained persons are referred to as Legal Literacy Volunteers (LLVs) and are drawn from grassroots organisations, social groupings, church groups, work place associations, government and non-governmental organisations. There are currently two offices running Legal Awareness Programmes as an institutionalised programme in Volta and Western Regions.

WiLDAF-Ghana has carried out a number of studies on topics including the maintenance of children, women and land. It has, to its credit, many publications and manuals on a myriad of topics including politics and legal rights education and it has developed a number of pamphlets, posters, brochures etc. for its work.

In addition to the above programmes, WiLDAF-Ghana, in conjunction with its members, undertakes activities around both 16 Days Activism against Gender Violence and International Women's Day each year. At the national level, WiLDAF has been actively involved in advocacy on the domestic violence bill, the women's manifesto and property rights of women.

WiLDAF has a membership of over 50 individuals and organisations; a staff of 16, including lawyers and over 70 core literacy volunteers working with its Legal Awareness Programme. It receives support for its programmes from ActionAid Ghana, African Women's Development Fund, UN Systems Gender Programme among others.

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Mission & Vision Statements

Goals and Strategic Objectives

History of WiLDAF pan-African network