WOLREC ED outlines strides in advancing women

The Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WOLREC) has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting women’s leadership in Malawi as the country prepares for the September 16 General Elections.

Speaking during the Malawi Decides 2025 webinar, held under the theme “Counting the Gains and Pushing the Barriers Towards Total Women Transformational Leadership,” WOLREC Executive Director Maggie Kathewera Banda outlined the organization’s milestones in advancing women’s political participation.

The webinar, organised by the Pan African Women Political Leaders Movement (PAWLEM) in collaboration with the Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE), provided a platform for key stakeholders to reflect on progress, confront persistent challenges, and chart strategies toward achieving a 50/50 gender balance in leadership.

Kathewera Banda, who also serves as Chairperson of the NGO-GCN and is Founder of the Women’s Manifesto Movement, emphasized that through partnerships with other organizations such as Oxfam in Malawi and with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the European Union in Malawi, WOLREC has trained aspiring women candidates; worked with traditional leaders to foster supportive environments; run awareness campaigns on Violence Against Women in Elections (VAWE); and created cross-party platforms for women to dialogue and drive their political agendas.

“We have made a difference in promoting women’s participation in politics because we have been engaging political party leaders, some of whom have introduced initiatives to support women. Party leaders have also integrated gender equality into their manifestos, showing that our work is yielding results,” she said.

Hosting the webinar, WALPE Founder Sitabile Dewa commended WOLREC, noting that its efforts set the pace for other African women’s rights organisations to emulate.

Emma Kaliya, Executive Director of the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre, acknowledged the progress made but underscored the need for stronger solidarity among women voters.

“A lot has been done to support women’s political leadership, including capacity building for aspiring candidates. However, what we need now are votes. Many women contest, but not all make it into power because women don’t vote for fellow women. We can only hope for a change,” she stressed.

Kaliya further encouraged women leaders and the younger generation to sustain the momentum in pushing for women’s rights and leadership representation.

“We hope to remain motivated to keep up the momentum in advocating for women’s rights and securing a fair share of leadership positions,” she added.