Rural Women's Assembly

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Gender equalityEnvironment & ClimateHuman rightsPoverty & Hunger

Network or umbrellaFounded 2009International reach

Profile last updated: August 2, 2026

About

Founded in 2009, Rural Women's Assembly is a non-profit network based in Cape Town, South Africa working on gender equality, environment & climate, human rights +2 more.

The Rural Women's Assembly (RWA) is a self-organised network of rural women's movements in 11 countries in the Southern and Eastern Africa region. It works to advance women's access to land and water, food sovereignty, seed sovereignty, climate justice and women's leadership. Its work includes advocacy with governments and international bodies, feminist training, seed-saving and agroecology initiatives, and national chapters. It grew out of a 2009 gathering of rural women in Limpopo, South Africa, and is headquartered in Cape Town.

Location

Cape Town, South Africa

Founded

2009

Organisation type

Network or umbrella

Members

90,000

Focus areas

rural womenland rightsfood sovereigntyseed sovereigntyclimate justicefeminismagroecology

Languages

Causes & programmes

Causes

Gender equalityEnvironment & ClimateHuman rightsPoverty & HungerDemocracy & Civil society

Works for

Women & GirlsCommunities

How they work

Advocacy & campaigningCapacity buildingAwareness & educationCommunity programmes

Programmes

Feminist School

Gender equality

Training programme building feminist leadership and power among rural women; first held in 2014, with a 2022 report published.

One Woman, One Hectare

Food sovereignty

RWA South Africa initiative in which women grow food, share knowledge and build community on small plots of land.

Countries of operation

South AfricaLesothoMalawiZimbabweZambiaTanzaniaSwazilandNamibiaMadagascarMozambiqueMauritius

Credentials & affiliations

Partnerships

Land Access Movement of South Africa, Women on Farms Project, Trust for Community Outreach and Education, National Small-holder Farmers Association of Malawi, ZIMSOFF, Women and Land in Zimbabwe, Small Scale Farmers Forum of Lesotho, MIICO, FARM Madagascar, Socio Economic Rights Foundation of Swaziland, CARES, Center for Alternative Research and Studies