W&D's Main programs

We deliver targeted training programs including WiP4 and She Leads, designed to equip women and young women with the skills, confidence, and knowledge needed to campaign effectively, advocate for their rights, and participate meaningfully in elected positions and democratic office.

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WiP4 stands for Women in Politics, Women in Parliament, Women in Parties, and Women in Power. This framework addresses the entire spectrum of women’s political engagement from grassroots activism to leadership in national governance.

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Alongside these trainings, we will conduct nationwide awareness campaigns to promote women’s political participation at all levels. These campaigns will focus on the importance of women’s voices in decision-making, the benefits of gender-balanced leadership, and the pathways for women to enter and thrive in political life.

In addition to political capacity enhancement trainings, we encourage women candidates to engage actively in politics and run for office through a structured mentoring program. This program is designed to engage, educate, and empower women candidates to develop their personal skills, talents, and abilities.

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The mentorship component provides opportunities for women to build political skills through direct interaction with women in political leadership positions. It serves as a platform for knowledge exchange, confidence building, and strategic networking, creating a strong pathway for women to progress toward high-level political leadership

We promote women-led economic development by facilitating skill-building, digital training, and capacity enhancement for women micro-entrepreneurs and SMEs. These initiatives aim to expand economic opportunities and ensure the resilience of women-led ventures, especially during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Voter Education Program (VEP) builds voter knowledge, skills, and democratic values among Maldivian youth and women, promoting political pluralism and meaningful participation in island and atoll communities.

Initially developed with the European Union to Sri Lanka & Maldives and Sri Lanka’s National Peace Council, the program focuses on:

• Enhancing youth participation – reducing voter apathy, encouraging informed voting, and removing youth-specific barriers.

• Promoting women’s participation – raising awareness of women’s political rights to strengthen their role as voters and candidates.

• Empowering voters – educating on election processes, preventing manipulation, and promoting accountable governance.

• Fostering sustainability – creating reusable training materials for continuous civic and voter education across the Maldives.

Capacity building strengthens civil society organizations (CSOs) by equipping them with the skills, resources, and knowledge needed to improve performance, sustainability, and impact.

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W&D has a strong track record in designing and delivering nationwide capacity-building programs, particularly for women-led and youth-led organizations. We strengthen the institutional capacity of grassroots CSOs and community-based organizations (CBOs) working in women’s rights and social development. This includes support in advocacy, accountability, service delivery, and cross-regional networking to ensure these organizations can operate effectively and sustainably in diverse contexts, including in the absence of state actors.

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Over the years, we have implemented initiatives in 10 atolls and maintain a comprehensive CSO/CBO database across these regions.

Key achievements include:

• Delivering multi-phase CSO capacity-building programs on governance, fundraising, strategic planning, and monitoring & evaluation.

• Managing complete project lifecycles from proposal development to evaluation and donor reporting.