The first six months (Sep 2024 to Feb 2025) of the new phase of WE-Care focused on strengthening existing relationships and building relationships through networking and partnerships with women’s rights and youth organizations, feminist movements, and other diverse groups. A key focus of the current phase is to promote a gradual shift from policy to practice with regard to commitments made by policymakers and other decision makers. As a result of collaborative efforts coupled with adaptability to navigate challenges and opportunities that arise, key gains have been accomplished within these past six months and the program seeks to build on these in the remaining grant period.

Program inception was the focus of this reporting period with the teams across the countries and region playing vital roles in ensuring continued support from key stakeholders in their commitment to addressing UCDW as both an economic and gender equality issue. Substantial progress has been made to indoctrinate legislators across the four WE-Care countries on the objectives of the WE-Care program and how these essentially align with their respective development plans.

Participation in national and regional level convenings—such as the Women, Peace and Security meeting; 40th GIMAC Network Pre-Summit CSOs Consultative Meeting; Kenya’s National Women’s Economic Empowerment working group meeting; and Uganda’s Women Caucus—continues to provide an avenue to strengthen existing partnerships, build more networks, and create a stronger voice and foundation for women and girls to collectively advocate for recognition, redistribution, reward, reduction and representation of their UCDW resulting in them having greater autonomy over their lives.