Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa

What Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa does

Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) is a non-profit feminist network founded in 1995 by women activists from Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Sudan, currently headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, with 11-50 employees and an additional governance layer of a 7-member Board of Directors, 4 Board Advisors, and 9 Program Advisors. The organization coordinates a coalition of 80-200+ member organizations (sources cite 80, 136, and 200+ figures) across eight Greater Horn of Africa countries — Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan, and South Sudan — and operates country offices in Kampala, Addis Ababa, Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Juba, Wau, Kassala, and Port Sudan. The Regional Secretariat relocated from Khartoum to Kampala in 2009 due to insecurity, and Sudan operations were again relocated from Khartoum and North Darfur to Kassala and Port Sudan following the April 2023 outbreak of war.

SIHA's core products and programs center on women's rights advocacy, capacity building, research, and movement building rather than technology: these include a Publications Program (briefing papers, position papers, annual reports, and thematic research), the Women Vendors' Manifesto (an advocacy tool for women in informal economies), the annual Women at the Frontline Awards, the Women in Islam Journal (published in Arabic and English), the African Family Law Network (a 2022 coalition for family law reform with FEMNET, Musawah, and Equality Now), documentary productions, the #padsforpeace humanitarian campaign, the Women War Stories blog, and the WCW newsletter platform. The organization operates no proprietary technology, API, or software product; its tools are content-, coalition-, and convening-based. There is no AI/ML capability.

SIHA's revenue model is a hybrid of foundation and government grants (from at least 16 institutional donors including UN Women, the UN Peace Building Fund, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, the Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund, Open Society Foundations, AWDF, Global Affairs Canada, GIZ, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sida, the Chanel Foundation, and the Embassy of Ireland), individual donations (notably the $10-per-kit #padsforpeace campaign), and a small recurring membership fee ($150 one-time plus $100 annually). Program services are delivered free to beneficiaries; financial figures are not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: SIHA works through grassroots member organizations, women human rights defenders, regional forums, and advocacy campaigns across the Horn of Africa.

Name

Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa

Legal name

Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa

Website

https://sihanet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SIHA is a non-profit feminist network founded in 1995 and headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, coordinating 80-200+ women's rights member organizations across 8 Greater Horn of Africa countries through advocacy, research, publications, capacity building, and coalition-driven movement building.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Rights Advocacy and Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAD

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPADAGAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYBPAGABAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Women's rights advocacy
• Gender equality programs
• Feminist movement building
• Humanitarian protection services
• Civil society coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampala

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: SIHA receives funding from international foundations, governments, and multilateral organizations including UN Women, UN Peace Building Fund, and bilateral donors to support programming across the Greater Horn of Africa.
2. Individual Donations: The organization runs a 'Pads for Peace' campaign accepting small donations ($10 per menstrual hygiene kit) and other individual contributions to support humanitarian work.
3. Membership Fees: Member organizations pay a one-time membership fee of $150 and an annual subscription of $100 to maintain network membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SIHA Network is a non-profit feminist coalition that delivers women's rights programming across the Greater Horn of Africa through a network of approximately 136 member organizations and eight country offices. Its core offerings center on advocacy for gender-responsive policy reform, capacity building for grassroots women's organizations, humanitarian protection for displaced women and girls, economic empowerment of women in the informal sector, and production of research and publications on women, peace, and security issues.

Product overview

SIHA Network is an indigenous Pan-African women's rights organization operating as a coalition/network rather than a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of advocacy programs, publications, and campaigns rather than a unified software platform. Key offerings include the Publications Program (research reports, briefing papers, position papers), the African Family Law Network (AFLN) coalition for legal reform, the Women in Islam Journal (annual publication), the Women at the Frontline Awards (annual recognition), the #padsforpeace humanitarian campaign, documentary productions, and the Women War Stories storytelling platform. The organization also operates a membership network of 80-136 women's rights organizations across eight countries in the Greater Horn of Africa, along with newsletters and advocacy tools like the Women Vendors' Manifesto. These programs work together to advance SIHA's feminist movement-building mission through knowledge production, advocacy, capacity building, and direct community support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• African Family Law Network (AFLN): A regional strategic network working on family law reform across Africa, launched in October 2022.

Products and services

• SIHA Publications Program Ongoing program producing briefing papers, position papers, annual reports, and thematic reports on gender equality, women's rights, and socio-political contexts across the Greater Horn of Africa for policy makers, civil society, and academic audiences.
• African Family Law Network (AFLN) A regional strategic coalition launched in October 2022 connecting legal advocates, human rights defenders, community organizers, and cultural/faith actors to reform African family laws in line with regional and international human rights standards.
• Women in Islam Journal SIHA's annual journal featuring research and analysis on women's rights in Islam across the Horn of Africa, published in both Arabic and English.
• #padsforpeace Campaign Humanitarian fundraising and distribution campaign in which each $10 donated provides one Sudanese woman or girl with a menstrual hygiene kit for a full month.
• Women at the Frontline Awards Annual recognition program honoring individuals and organizations advancing women's leadership, participation, and economic empowerment in conflict zones, with particular focus on Sudan.
• SIHA Documentary Productions Documentary film series covering women's issues, conflict impacts, and humanitarian crises including titles such as 'Where is Roqia?', 'The Resistance Continues: Voices of Women in Sudan', and 'Giving Birth Under Bombardment.'
• SIHA Member Network Coalition membership program bringing together approximately 136 women's rights organizations across eight Horn of Africa countries, with members paying a $150 one-time fee and $100 annual subscription.
• Women Vendors' Manifesto Advocacy tool developed with women market and street vendors in Uganda articulating six priority demands including establishing gender desks in markets and improving local government policies to address harassment and exploitation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 women street vendors' cooperatives formed in Sudan
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• FEMNET (African Women's Development and Communication Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2022Founding partner of the African Family Law Network, contributing expertise in feminist movement building and national advocacy.
• MusawahcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2022Founding partner of the African Family Law Network, contributing expertise in strategic research and litigation on family law reform.
• Equality NowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of the African Family Law Network, collaborating on family law reform advocacy.
• Legal Action WorldwidemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal organization providing support for strategic litigation and access to justice initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Oxfam International: Large international confederation operating across the Horn of Africa including Sudan with gender justice programming; comparable as a peer regional humanitarian/rights actor with overlapping women's rights and economic justice themes.

Direct peers

• TrustAfrica: Pan-African foundation supporting civil society and governance initiatives across the continent; comparable to SIHA as a peer African intermediary organization and a current SIHA funder.
• Solidarity for African Women's Rights (SOAWR): Pan-African coalition of over 80 organizations advancing women's rights through advocacy on regional and continental instruments; highly comparable to SIHA's coalition model and African feminist advocacy scope.
• Musawah: Global movement for equality in the Muslim family and co-founding partner of the African Family Law Network; directly comparable to SIHA through shared focus on family law reform in Islamic contexts and SIHA's Women in Islam Journal work.
• Equality Now: International feminist legal advocacy organization and co-founding partner of the African Family Law Network; comparable through shared focus on legal reform, women's rights advocacy, and coalition-driven movement building.
• African Women's Development Fund (AWDF): Africa's largest pan-African feminist grantmaking fund providing resources to women's rights organizations; directly comparable to SIHA as a fellow African feminist intermediary and a current SIHA funder/strategic partner.
• FEMNET (African Women's Development and Communication Network): Pan-African feminist network coordinating women's rights organizations across the continent, with direct overlap to SIHA through shared strategic partnership (co-founding the African Family Law Network) and similar regional movement-building model.

Emerging players

• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: Global feminist fund providing rapid response grants to women human rights defenders; comparable to SIHA's WHRD protection work and shared funder base (AWDF, Open Society).
• CREA: Feminist international organization focused on sexual and reproductive rights and gender justice in the Global South; partially comparable through feminist movement-building approach and human rights advocacy focus.

Regional players

• FEMRITE (Uganda Women Writers Association): Uganda-based women's literary and advocacy organization; comparable to SIHA's regional presence and Ugandan operations, with partial overlap in women-focused advocacy and storytelling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Sihanet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/sihanetwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/SIHANetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategic-initiative-for-women-in-the-horn-of-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/sihanetwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa