Our Theory of Change
Our Approach
CECI focuses its actions on fragile contexts in partnership with key actors of change to promote innovative solutions, gender-transformative approaches centered on more inclusive markets and collective action. CECI and its partners design their actions so that good practices are scaled up and integrated into broader political and institutional systems.
We work for and with
Marginalized women and girls in rural and urban communities in West and Central Africa, Haiti, Latin America and Asia.
What we aspire to
At CECI, we envision a world where women, girls and their communities achieve shared and sustainable prosperity and well-being. With our partners, we co-create and support innovative solutions that strengthen the power and leadership of women, girls and vulnerable communities, contributing to inclusive, fair and effective economic and governance systems, as well as resilience to climate change and peacebuilding. Gender equality, diversity and inclusion are at the core of all our actions.
We are empowering women and girls and transforming communities through:
The promotion of women and girls’ rights
Our actions - CECI, with an intersectional approach, grounded in rights and diversity, supports the advocacy of women and girls for equality by:
Reducing constraints and obstacles to women's and girls' access to adequate and quality essential services (education, health and justice);
Supporting a coordinated and effective response to preventing and fighting gender-based violence and promoting positive masculinities;
Supporting women's movements (civil society organizations and networks) and collective action to promote women's rights and gender equality and amplify self-representation and leadership;
Encouraging efforts that advance women's property rights (land and non-land assets).
Our aspiration - The rights of women and girls are protected, respected and fulfilled. Women and girls have the power to demand their rights and exercise their leadership at all levels and in all circumstances, within a supportive and inclusive environment.
Women's economic empowerment
Our actions - CECI empowers women economically through vocational training, business development services, promotion of inclusive value chains, support for policy reforms and improving access to innovative and inclusive financial services, including impact investing and blended finance by:
Supporting women in acquiring technical, digital and social skills to improve their ability to develop a business or access and retain quality employment;
Strengthening women-led individual and collective ventures by improving business models, value chain inclusiveness and access to markets, as well as providing inclusive business development services and facilitating access to impact investments and blended finance;
Fostering transformative gender reforms of the business ecosystem to increase women's leadership in decision-making;
Facilitating inclusive policy dialogue and advocating for reform of government and private sector policies and services to better address unpaid care work and gender-based violence.
Our aspiration - Women in rural and peri-urban areas increase and control their incomes and enhance their influence in a supportive commercial and political environment.
Adaptation to climate change
Our actions - CECI facilitates the adaptation of agricultural and food systems and the protection of ecosystems in the face of climate change with greater leadership from women by:
Mobilizing communities, civil society and institutions with a gender-transformative approach to climate change adaptation and climate justice;
Facilitating inclusive and sustainable management of agricultural and food systems, ecosystems and disaster risk mitigation, drawing on women's leadership, and strengthening local collective action and policy and institutional frameworks;
Supporting the identification and implementation of nature-based solutions that build on women's leadership and promote food security and the conservation of biodiversity.
Our aspiration - Women's leadership increases as key players in climate change adaptation. Agricultural and food systems, ecosystems and biodiversity become more resilient to climate change and more sustainable, to the benefit of women and young people.
Inclusive governance and peacebuilding in fragile contexts
Our actions - CECI supports inclusive governance efforts that value the role of women and youth and the nexus between emergency humanitarian action, sustainable development and peacebuilding by :
Addressing the immediate needs of marginalized populations, with a focus on women and youth;
Supporting cash transfer mechanisms and labour programs leading to community assets, livelihood recovery programs and protection of women and girls from gender-based violence;
Strengthening community organizations and local governance institutions and supporting local development planning and implementation processes, with an emphasis on women's and youth leadership;
Consolidating the links between humanitarian action, development programs and peacebuilding;
Strengthening national policies, institutional frameworks and financing mechanisms for improved decentralized local governance, women and youth’s leadership and citizen engagement.
Our aspiration - Immediate needs are better met, citizen engagement is strengthened and local institutions are more inclusive with women and youth leadership, contributing to peacebuilding.
