What does The Women’s Institute strive to achieve?

Our work transforms the lives of the girls we serve and in turn, the lives of women as they develop into more effective, values-driven leaders.

At The Women’s Institute, we strive to:

1. Increase participation of women in elections, public leadership, and decision-making: we work to expand opportunities for women through education, entrepreneurship, and vocational training. We provide women with the knowledge and skills to earn an income and lift themselves and their families out of poverty, including through scholarships. In the workplace, we address constraints faced by women entrepreneurs. By providing networking opportunities, mentoring, access to information and credit, and business management training, we foster environments where women can advocate for improved policies. We work alongside local partners to provide women with vocational training to break into higher-paid employment sectors.
2. Expand opportunities for women’s entrepreneurship, education, and employment: we work with individuals and communities to change attitudes and social norms that perpetuate gender-based violence and the exploitation of women and girls. We engage government and civil society to strengthen laws, legal systems, and other response mechanisms to increase access to justice and improve service delivery. Our broad engagement across Ghana uniquely positions us to respond with locally rooted, gender-sensitive, and durable strategies to enhance prevention, prosecution, and protection measures.
3. Improve rights and security for women: we help women develop skills to be informed voters, active members of political parties, and successful candidates. Our initiatives encourage women to engage in political processes and contribute to increased government transparency and accountability. We advance women’s rights by working with governments and local partners to support and strengthen legal systems. We also equip women with information on their rights and access to free legal aid and strengthens local efforts to reform laws and policies that discriminate.