Friends of CEDIL Global USA
Friends of CEDIL Global USA- Co-Creating Systems Led Philanthropic Mechanisms for Sustainable Social Changes in Health and Gender
Mission
To foster innovative, locally driven collaboratives and solutions in Africa that address the continent's health, economic and climate development challenges through strategic partnerships, grantmaking, institutional capacity strengthening, research, innovation, and systems leadership development.
Program 1: Advancing Health, Economic, and Climate Justice in Africa
- Co-creating and implementing multicountry collaboratives and programs for addressing obstacles to menstrual hygiene, maternal, newborn, child and youth programs.
- Advancing gender just economies through economic empowerment and strengthening food sovereignty and resilient systems
Program 2: Enhancing Research and Leadership for Global Development
1.Action Research, Program Data and Learning to inform public policy and programming; 2.Institutional fundraising and resource mobilization support to frontline actors; 3.Systems Leadership Development;
What we aim to solve:
- Girls and Women Menstrual Crisis: Systemic Partnerships for Menstrual Health(MH) Innovation. CEDIL Global is advancing MH and hygiene through systemic, country-led partnerships. MH affects millions of girls and women, shaping educational, gender equality, and well-being outcomes. In many contexts, lack of knowledge, resources, and adequate infrastructure continues to perpetuate barriers to dignified and safe menstrual management coupled with insufficient access to menstrual products, inadequate sanitation facilities, and social stigma.
- Addressing persistent challenges impeding sustainable and equitable food systems in Africa through Strengthening Food Sovereignty and Resilient Food Systems in Malawi, DRC, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia; And Expanding Systems-Led Partnerships and Support for Local Women-Led Farmer Groups to become active participants in Economic Justice efforts.
- Reducing Maternal Newborn and Child Mortality through systems leadershio development in 12 countries.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We foster strategic collaboratives, and partnerships that accelerate widespread actions for advancing systemic change in menstrual health and hygiene, MNCH, gender, economic and climate justice at national, regional, and Africa continental levels. Specific Menstrual Hygiene and Health Goals in 6 countries of Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda, Ghana, Liberia, and Mozambique:
Our Model: CEDIL Global’s strategy is based on multisectoral partnerships, integrating gov't action with the work of frontline NGOs, academic institutions, and private sector actors. The model prioritizes local innovation and adaptability to the cultural and economic contexts of each country. Evidence-based decision-making, capacity building, dev't of educational resources, and mobilization of public and private funds are promoted. Coordination among ministries, schools, health centers, and communities is emphasized to generate impact and scalability at all levels in each of the listed countries.
Specific Objectives:
•Catalyze local innovation in sustainable, affordable menstrual products adapted to each country’s realities in the 6 countries. We:
•Implement educational and awareness campaigns to eliminate stigma and normalize menstrual management in schools and communities.
•Build a national menstrual health ecosystem, supported by public policies, reliable data, and active civil society participation in each of the 6 target countries.
•Strengthen country-level alliances between governments, NGOs, and local actors to develop sustainable and scalable solutions.
•Improve access to menstrual products and sanitation facilities, especially in rural and vulnerable regions in the 6 target countries.
•Train teachers, health workers, and community leaders to be active agents of change and support in the 6 countries.
Specific Goals for Strengthening Food Sovereignty and Resilient Food Systems in 5 Countries:
CEDIL Global’s systems-led model builds robust alliances among ministries of Agriculture, research institutions, farmer groups, and community organizations. By facilitating cross-sector collaboration, we aim to synchronize policy, research, and grassroots practice. Our co-creation methods foster capacity-building, innovation, and shared accountability, ensuring interventions are locally relevant, evidence-informed, and sustainable. A core element of the model is empowering women, integrating justice and inclusion into every phase. By leveraging gov't leadership, scientific expertise, and frontline action, CEDIL Global drives country-led change and cultivates resilience.
Specific Objectives:
•We deepen systems-led partnerships between gov't bodies, research institutions, and local actors for food sovereignty and resilience in 5 countries.
•We accelerate country-led innovation by supporting evidence-based solutions and participatory decision-making.
•We establish a comprehensive awareness and education ecosystem focused on food sovereignty, women’s empowerment, and sustainable agriculture.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Specifically:
1.We co-create and implement multicountry collaboratives and programs that address obstacles to menstrual health and hygiene, maternal, newborn, child and youth health, and food sovereignity and resilient systems in Africa.
- We increase access to flexible development funding through institutional resource mobilization and fundraising support, and direct grants management.
- We provide institutional capacity strengthening support, technical assistance and mentorship services for institutions adressing menstrual health and hygiene, food sovereignity and resilient systems, and climate justice issues on the African continent.
- And we offer regional and global space for regional and global learning, research and leadership development through training, strategic research and analysis, and evidence generation for program and policy changes while celebrating non-profit and philanthropic excellence.
Our Strategic Approach
Through a well-researched CLEAR framework for Leading Systems Change, CEDIL Global applies the five key elements of the systems change process in its strategic programming, budgeting and implementation.
1.Convene and Commit: We facilitate convenings for stakeholder engagement in identifying and responding to complex development problems through agreed shared interests and commitment to systemic change goals.
2.Look and Learn: We work with our partners to undertake systems mapping for exploring the dynamics, components, actors and influences that are responsible for systems failure. We identify the most effective, collective and iterative strategies built into learning, knowledge sharing and development, and opportunities for action.
3.Engage and Energize: We build and maintain stakeholder engagement in a longterm systems change process through open and continous communication to build trust, commitment, and ethusiasm that fosters pooling of resources and capabilities in new and innovative ways.
4.Act with Accountability: We galvanize multi-stakeholder leadership, commitment, accountability and self-directed actions guided by clearly defined strategic vision and clear goals for addressing a complex development challenge through systems change.
5.Review and Revise: We believe that systems change is an ever-evolving process of adaptive experimentation, learning, growth and change and therefore, we work with our partners and stakeholders to embrace these dynamics with agile, flexible, innovative and learning-centered approach. We foster strategies for setting clear goals and measurement frameworks at the start of any initiative to guide continuous monitoring, evaluation, progress reporting and sharing experiences and models of excellence.
Fundraisers
Official fundraiser
Empowering 40000 Girls&Women-Unite 4Menstrual Hygiene Day'26
Background Every May 28th, the world observes Menstrual Hygiene Day, a pivotal occasion to advocate for dignity, health, and the right to opportunity for every girl and woman. This year, CEDIL Global with incountry partners is launching a transformative pilot campaign—to raise funds for 40,000 menstrual products (Reusable Menstrual cup that is FDA registered with alife span of 10 years) to be distributed in 2026 with a launch planned during May 28th MH Day, in support of the 40,000 vulnerable girls and women across eight African countries: DRC, South Sudan, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Liberia, Kenya, and Ghana. By providing 5,000 quality pads to each country as a pilot, our mission is to break persistent barriers to education, health, and self-determination, reaching the most marginalized communities by Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026. Why This Campaign?
Across sub-Saharan Africa, millions of girls and women lack access to basic menstrual hygiene products and education. According to UNESCO, 1 in 10 African schoolgirls misses school during menstruation, which can add up to 20% of the school year. In some regions, closer to 1 in 4 girls may skip school entirely for lack of longterm reusable cups, while others use unsafe materials such as rags, leaves, or even newspaper, risking infection and shame. The need for quality menstrual solutions is especially critical for those in refugee settlements, fishing villages, hilly and hard-to-reach areas, and remote schools. With each $14 given that includes a cost for 1 10-year life span menstrual cup including health education, community sensitisation and distribution costs, you bring hope and dignity to one girl, and for this campaign we aim to raise raise $70,000 for each of the 8 targeted countries to deliver hope and dignity to 5000 girls. Key Challenge Statistics & Background DRC 5,000 Menstrual Cups required. Refugee settings, improvised materials Over 5 million internally displaced women and girls; 70% lack access to safe menstrual products. Refugee camps in eastern DRC face acute shortages and unsafe alternatives. South Sudan 5,000 Menstrual Cups required. Conflict-affected communities, distribution gaps Only 16% of women and girls in rural and conflict communities have access to menstrual hygiene products. Many miss up to 25% of school days each year. Uganda 5,000 Menstrual Cups required. School absenteeism, rural barriers 34% of Ugandan girls report missing school during menstruation, especially in isolated regions and among South Sudanese refugees in the north. Malawi 5,000 Menstrual Cups required; Fishing communities, isolation : 1 in 3 girls in lakeshore districts lacks access to menstrual pads, with significant stigma in male-dominated fishing communities. Zambia 5,000 Menstrual Cups required. Remote schools, poverty : In remote provinces, up to 75% of women use cloth or paper instead of pads. Many girls drop out of school early due to period poverty. Liberia 5,000 Menstrual Cups required. Post-conflict challenges, supply shortages : Half of Liberian schools lack sanitation facilities, and 60% of adolescent girls lack regular access to menstrual products. Kenya 5,000 Menstrual Cups required Hilly regions, difficult access : Kenya loses more than 840,000 learning days annually due to period poverty; in hilly west and northern regions, 65% of girls lack access to pads. Ghana 5,000 Menstrual Cups required Remote schools, cultural stigma :1 in 5 rural schoolgirls in Ghana has never used a sanitary pad; cultural taboos and high costs are major barriers. Experiential Stories: Voices from the Field DRC: Amina, 15, from a refugee settlement: “For me, a pad is freedom. Without one, I miss classes and hide away. With support, I walk proudly to school every day.” South Sudan: Mary, 13, in a conflict zone: “I share one cloth with my sisters. Sometimes, I stay home for days. Pads would let me feel normal and dream of becoming a teacher.” Uganda: Rose, 16, in a northern refugee community: “Menstruation shouldn’t stop anyone from learning. When I got my first pad, I finally felt confident in class.” Malawi: Faith, 14, from a lakeshore fishing village: “I used to fear my period every month. Now, with help, I can go to school and help my mother at the market.” Zambia: Loveness, 15, in an isolated school: “I missed tests because of my period. Pads make it possible for me to stay in school. My dream is to become a nurse.” Liberia: Blessing, 12, in a rural classroom: “Sometimes I use leaves or tissues. When I see other girls with pads, I wish I could have one too. With a pad, I could play sports and not worry.” Kenya: Mercy, 14, in the Kenyan highlands: “The hills are steep and the journey to school is hard. Having pads means I don’t have to choose between my education and my dignity.” Ghana: Abena, 13, in a remote school: “At home, we don’t talk about periods. I used to feel embarrassed. Now, I want to help other girls understand and feel proud.” Appeal Your compassion and generosity can change destinies. For philanthropists, foundations, and global citizens, your contribution will provide more than a product; it will restore dignity, support school attendance, and foster leadership among Africa’s future women. As a Kenyan teacher says, “When girls have what they need, they show up, learn, and lead.” Country statistics emphasize the urgency: In DRC, 7 out of 10 girls lack safe products. In Uganda, period poverty is one of the top three reasons for dropout among adolescent girls. In Ghana, girls in rural regions are twice as likely to miss a week of school each term due to lack of pads. By giving to this campaign, you help build a generation of confident, healthy, and ambitious young women. Every donation, big or small, brings us closer to a future where no girl is left behind because of her period. How to Give Donate through Every.org by clicking on the link: https://www.every.org/friends-of-cedil-global-usa?utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/card Final Message This Menstrual Hygiene Day, stand with CEDIL Global and become a champion for 40,000 girls and women in Africa. Your support will bring vital menstrual solutions in May, vital education, and brighter futures to the most vulnerable. Together, let’s build a world where opportunity, dignity, and hope flow freely for all. Thank you for believing in every girl’s potential and for making a world of difference.
- Raised
- $0
- Goal
- $70,000
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