Women’s Rights and Leadership Forums

Across the villages, wards, and districts where we work, UCRT has helped establish Women’s Rights and Leadership Forums (WRLFs) as spaces for women to come together, strengthen their collective voice, and take action on land and governance issues that affect them. These forums are built on solidarity, knowledge, and the right to be heard.
We support each forum with tailored training in land policy, law, and local administration—empowering women to engage directly in conversations around land rights, resource access, and leadership. Through these platforms, women and their communities are organizing to:

• Challenge threats to their land and natural resources;
• Demand transparency, accountability, and inclusive decision-making from local leaders;
• Ensure that land governance reflects the voices and rights of all community members.

But advancing women’s rights goes beyond land. The forums are also a driver of economic empowerment. UCRT provides hands-on support, from distributing livestock such as goats, to training women in practical income-generating skills like soap making, record keeping, and basic financial management.
Today, these women-led forums are not only defending their rights but also launching their own savings groups and fundraising initiatives—proving that when women are supported, entire communities move forward.

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Read about some of the community members impacted by our WRLFs below:

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Watch our short film ‘Strengthening Women’s Rights: Empowering Communities’ to learn more about the Forums. You can also explore this visual story—featuring powerful images, quotes, and real-life anecdotes—to see how these Forums are driving change across northern Tanzania.