The KIT gender team initiated and implemented the West Africa Gender Inclusive Citizenship Program (WAGIC) in partnership with seven local women’s and human rights organisations in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The participatory action-research programme promoted gender inclusive citizenship and better access for women to social, political and economic rights.

The realisation of gender inclusion through participatory action-research

The programme utilised a hands-on, rights-based approach to enable women and duty bearers to bring about positive change in their respective countries. Focusing on poverty-stricken areas where the socio-political context is variably democratic, and Islam is the principal religion, WAGIC facilitated gender inclusion by providing:

• Gender and leadership training
• Project management and technical support
• Application of a gender and rights-based approach to development
• Facilitation of participatory action-research towards the realisation of rights
• Knowledge generation through collaborative learning, documentation and publication

Results and lessons learned

WAGIC succeeded in empowering local women to build their voice and increase their consciousness about their rights, and to engage society in realising these rights. The project shed light on what gender inclusive citizenship means as a practice, what can be achieved when it is promoted, and the role participatory action-research can play.

Results and lessons learned have been documented and published in English and French.