WHO WE ARE
Twenty women leaders
Three continents
One agenda.
A unique cross-border network connecting on-the-ground expertise from the Sahel with global decision-making arenas, to transform policy priorities into responses rooted in the realities of women and girls.
Because a resilient and peaceful Sahel takes shape when women and girls are fully integrated into decisions and investments.
Our identity
The Elles du Sahel is a unique cross-border network of twenty women leaders from the Sahel, Europe, and the United States. We are experts, activists, and humanitarian workers specializing in gender, climate, peace and security, feminist foreign policy, health, and education.
At the intersection of on-the-ground realities and decision-making arenas, we transform the experience of our communities into levers of influence.
Our Approach
We act as a strategic bridge: connecting authentic voices from the ground with national and international decision-makers, and opening spaces for horizontal dialogue among various actors—particularly where such dialogue had previously broken down.
The evidence is clear: lasting stability in the Sahel will not be built through a security-focused response alone. It requires investment in human capital, and that investment begins with women and girls. That is why our work is structured around five interdependent pillars:
● Girls’ education
● Sexual and reproductive health and rights
● The fight against gender-based violence
● Climate change
● Peace and Security
Our advocacy also rests on our own capacity for analysis:
● Tracking funding and investment priorities in the Sahel
● Decipher international policies and agendas
● Collect field data and relay the lived realities of the communities.
What sets us apart
We do not wait to be invited. We create the space. We organize the process. We carry the voices. And we ensure they reach exactly where they need to be heard: not as background noise, but as a political direction.
Investing in the women of the Sahel is not just a matter of justice. It is the only strategy for achieving development and lasting peace.
OUR WORK IN NUMBERS
An unprecedented regional process
Since 2024, the Elles du Sahel have initiated a feminist dialogue process spanning national, regional, and global levels. Across six Sahelian countries, as well as Belgium and the United States, they have created spaces for dialogue where none previously existed. The report "Listen to the Voices of the Sahel" represents the first collective expression of this initiative. The process is ongoing.
20
Women leaders
13
Round tables (10 countries in the Sahel, 2 in Belgium, 1 in Dakar)
180+
Civil society organizations
3
Continents
200+
Mobilized experts
5
Key resources (reports, recommendations, advocacy tool)
These meetings were not merely symbolic. They served as genuine spaces for feminist diplomacy, where women did not simply ask for a seat at the table but instead set the agenda.
In 2025, roundtables were organized in the five Sahelian countries, Senegal, and Brussels to translate these priorities into concrete actions. One message resonated everywhere: promises are no longer enough.
Our Publications
01
The Unique Potential of Feminist Foreign Policies to Transform the Sahel Region: A Call for Coherence and Accountability
Strategic Report, 2025
→ Read
02
Civil society recommendations: women at the heart of positive change in the Sahel
Recommendations, 2025
→ Read
03
Listen to the voices of the Sahel
Regional Report, 2024-2025
→ Read
04
Analysis of funding in the Sahel
Brief analysis of OCDE DAC, 2025
→ Read
05
Advocacy Tool : Responding to US Compacts (G2G)
Practical tool for health and SRHR advocates navigating US Compact processes, from pre-negotiation to monitoring, 2025
→ Read
KEY PUBLICATIONS
Feminist foreign policies in the Sahel
Published in late 2025, our strategic report on feminist foreign policies reveals a simple reality: when women’s rights regress, instability rises. When they are supported, peace, resilience, and development become possible.
This report calls for direct funding for women's organizations and for women from the Sahel to play a central role in political decision-making.
Advocacy tool : Responding to US Compacts (G2G)
The United States is restructuring its health assistance through direct bilateral agreements—known as US Compacts (G2G)—and an expanded Global Gag Rule. This document analyzes the characteristics of these agreements, their cumulative effects on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and the concrete risks for Sahelian states regarding funding, governance, civil society, and fragile contexts.
A practical tool for sexual and reproductive health and rights advocates navigating the processes surrounding the U.S. Compacts, from pre-negotiation to monitoring.
The climate Labyrinth
At the intersection of climate, gender, and security, Les Elles du Sahel created the "Climate Labyrinth" (Labyrinthe climatique): a card game designed as a tool for dialogue, training, and advocacy.
Through various scenarios, it helps participants understand how climate-related decisions tangibly affect women, girls, and communities in the Sahel.
The Climate Labyrinth offers a fresh approach to addressing complex topics such as access to resources, displacement, security, and climate finance.
More than just a game, it serves as a space for discussion and negotiation, transforming technical issues into conversations that are accessible, direct, and grounded in on-the-ground realities.
