Project Title: Power in Structure: Strengthening the Institutional Capacity of Gracious Gifters Foundation for Sustainable Feminist Action and Impact
Overview
The “Power in Structure” project (October 2025 – February 2026) was a landmark institutional strengthening initiative implemented by the Gracious Gifters Foundation (GGF) with the strategic support of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). Based in Buea, Cameroon, GGF embarked on this journey to solidify its internal foundations, ensuring that our girl-led, youth-driven organisation can sustainably advance gender justice in conflict-affected communities.
The Goal
To transform GGF into a resilient, feminist-led institution by enhancing governance, developing foundational policies, and equipping our team with expert skills in feminist leadership and programme management.
Key Achievements
Despite operating in a complex, conflict-sensitive environment, we successfully met and exceeded our core objectives:
Institutional Policy: Developed and adopted three core feminist-aligned policies: Safeguarding, Human Resources, and Financial Management.
Strategic Planning: Co-created a robust 5-year strategic plan (2026–2030) that aligns our mission with national development goals.
Capacity Building: Conducted an intensive 8-day workshop for staff and partners on feminist governance, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), and resource mobilisation.
Infrastructure: Procured essential equipment (laptops, printers, and modems) to enhance team efficiency and digital connectivity.
Movement Building: Established a Feminist Governance Hub and signed MOUs with three partner organisations (Lead Child Africa, Hope in Pink Foundation, and Just Now Action) to strengthen the local feminist movement.
Knowledge Management: Created a Centralised Knowledge Management Bank and a Harmonised Feminist Governance Manual to preserve institutional memory and guide future work.
Key Learnings & Innovations
•Feminist Leadership as Practice: We shifted our internal culture from power competition to a collective, community-centred practice, redefining leadership as shared responsibility.
•Adaptive Management: We successfully navigated regional lockdowns and security risks by pivoting to virtual implementation, proving that technology is a vital “safety valve” for grassroots resilience.
•Inside-Out Approach: We learned that strong internal governance is a prerequisite for effective community mobilisation. A structurally sound organisation is better equipped to support the weight of community ambitions.
Significant Change Story
The project sparked a profound “mind-shift” across GGF and our partners. We moved from viewing feminism as a theoretical concept to applying it as a practical framework for social justice and inclusivity. By mapping our 2026–2030 roadmap to Cameroon’s national development vision, GGF has transitioned from localised impact to becoming a strategic national contributor.
The Future: Sustainability & Resilience
To ensure the long-term impact of this project, we have:
- Established a Centralised Knowledge Management Bank to preserve training tools and institutional memory.
- Developed a Harmonised Feminist Governance Manual to guide our future operations and those of our partners.
- Institutionalised safe programming and security monitoring as foundational pillars of all our field engagements.
- Operationalised our Feminist Governance and Capacity-Building Hub with our partners through a set-up WhatsApp coordination platform where we continue to share our learnings and offer knowledge exchanges to support our solidarity.
Key challenges and mitigation strategies
- Regional Insecurity: Navigating the conflict-sensitive environment in Southwest/Northwest Cameroon, which necessitated pivoting to virtual implementation during lockdowns. Security updates were mainstreamed into weekly activity planning, utilising a dynamic Risk Register to track shifting threats in real-time. All staff underwent mandatory BSAFE (Basic Security in the Field) training and were onboarded with a formal Safeguarding Policy and Organisational Code of Conduct.
- Compressed Timeline: Managing a significantly shortened implementation window (reduced from three months to two) due to delays in fund disbursements. To address the compressed two-month implementation window caused by funding delays, GGF reorganised its work plan to prioritise mission-critical tasks and sequenced activities strategically. GGF leveraged the flexibility of the AWDF partnership to secure a no-cost extension, allowing the team to complete all approved outputs without compromising technical quality. A dedicated project working group was established via WhatsApp to facilitate real-time coordination and ensure strict adherence to the accelerated schedule.
What has changed after the project: Based on capacity received and with the support from our consultant, we have, beyond the project period, established a standardised financial management system and payroll management system for the organisation, as well as a logistics and procurement policy, anti-fraud risk mitigation policy, Gender policy, PSHEA Policy, and MEAL handbook to support our programs.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The “Power in Structure” project successfully strengthened the Gracious Gifters Foundation’s institutional capacity, fostering sustainable feminist action in Cameroon. We extend our deepest gratitude to the African Women’s Development Fund for their vital financial support and flexibility, and to the Lead Consultants and Facilitators who spearheaded our 2026–2030 Strategic Plan and core policies. We celebrate the solidarity of our partners, Just Now Action, Hope in Pink Foundation, and Lead Child Africa, and the resilience of the GGF Team. Together, we have transformed institutional strengthening into an act of feminist resistance, emerging stronger and ready for five years of transformative impact.
Project Title: Power in Structure: Strengthening the Institutional Capacity of GGF
Funder: African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF)
Total Fund: $20,000 USD
Location: Buea, Southwest Region, Cameroon
Implementation Period: October 2025 – February 2026
Contact: programs@graciousgifters.org | graciousgifters.org
Institutional strengthening is not just an administrative task; it is an act of feminist resistance and sustainability. We move forward from this project stronger, more aligned, and ready for the next five years of impact – GGF Program Coordinator, 2026
