12 times civil society changed the world in 2024

Elizabeth Mwangi, nurse in Suswa, one of two new health facilities that have contributed to fewer cases of maternal mortality in Kenya.

AFRICA

Six years of collaboration for economic empowerment and community participation

Engaging communities in large public and private sector projects remains a challenge, especially when it comes to ensuring that economic benefits reach indigenous groups often affected by such developments. The successful completion of the first phase of the Inclusive Growth Project in 2024 marks six years of collaboration between public institutions, private companies, civil society organizations, and academic institutions to address poverty and promote sustainable development.

By applying a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) – a method that ensures development efforts respect people's rights and actively involve communities—the project has fostered economic empowerment, increased community participation, and improved social services.

One of its key achievements is vocational training for 1,931 young people and women (997 men, 934 women), equipping them with skills to secure better jobs. The project also helped establish 875 new businesses, enabling more people to become financially independent. Additionally, it supported community-led advocacy efforts, allowing people to push for better access to public services such as healthcare and education.

To ensure long-term impact, the project developed a Public-Private Development Partnership (PPDP) model, which brings together governments, businesses, and communities. This model helps ensure that job training matches industry needs, supports new businesses, and encourages community-driven solutions for better service delivery. By integrating HRBA principles into multi-sector collaborations, the project has demonstrated that development can be both inclusive and sustainable.

In recognition of its success, the project was awarded Africa’s Best Community Engagement Project for 2024 at the Renewable Energy Awards. This award highlights its innovative approach, which combines skills training, business development, and community participation to create lasting change. 

How Liberia’s youth and women are redefining land ownership

In 2018, Liberia enacted the Land Rights Act, a landmark law that, for the first time, recognized and protected the land rights of rural communities, including women and youth. Before this act, land ownership was predominantly male-dominated, despite women constituting 80% of the agricultural labor force. The Land Rights Act has been hailed as a revolutionary step toward gender equality in land ownership.

To support the effective implementation of the act, ForumCiv's 'Our Land' Programme aims to strengthen land tenure rights for customary communities, women, and youth, while promoting their active involvement in land governance. The programme collaborates with fifteen national civil society organizations across Liberia's rural counties.

In 2024, ForumCiv organized Knowledge Exchange Sessions, bringing together over 200 representatives from government, academia, and civil society. These sessions enhanced participants' understanding of the 2018 Land Rights Act and provided a platform to share experiences and challenges in achieving equitable land rights.

A notable outcome of these sessions is the story of Ruth Boakai, a 10th-grade student from Bomi County. Inspired by the knowledge she gained, Ruth advocated for updating her family's land deed to include her mother's name, challenging the common practice of listing only the husband's name. After two family discussions, her father agreed to the change. This initiative highlights the critical role youth can play in addressing injustices and building inclusive communities where everyone's rights are recognized and valued.

ForumCiv's 'Our Land' Programme exemplifies how targeted education and community engagement can lead to meaningful changes in land ownership practices, empowering individuals and fostering equitable development.

Promoting artivism for societal change in Tanzania and Kenya 

Artivism is the use of creative expressions to cultivate awareness and social change. Arts and culture are powerful drivers for development with social, economic, and environmental impacts in communities. Music, photography, poetry, graffiti, and literature are some powerful cultural expressions that can contribute to the struggle for democracy and human rights.   

In 2024, ForumCiv in Eastern and Southern Africa supported 28 talented artists from Kenya and Tanzania through the Artivism Fellowship. The fellowship aimed to promote democratic values, human rights, and fundamental freedoms through various forms of art. 

After extensive sessions of training, mentorship, and collaborative projects, ten artivists graduated from the cohort in Kenya and eight from the cohort in Tanzania. The sessions were focusing on deepening democracy, influencing good governance, and advocating for gender equality and climate justice. The artivists are now better placed to articulate societal issues, network with other creative sector actors, and earn a living from their craft.  

Securing clean water through collective community effort

One of the biggest challenges for many rural communities in Liberia is the lack of access to safe drinking water. For years, residents of Borbor Town in Bomi County and Wulu Town in Grand Gedeh County had no choice but to rely on nearby streams for drinking, cooking, and other household needs. This led to frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases, such as cholera and diarrhoea, which particularly affected children and vulnerable community members.

In 2024, with support from ForumCiv’s local partners, Safer Community Initiative Liberia (SCIL) and the South East Women Development Association (SEWODA), residents from these towns used the knowledge gained from the Rights Way Forward method to advocate for the installation of hand pumps in their communities. Their persistent efforts led to the successful construction of new water pumps, providing clean and safe drinking water to over 1,000 people.

ForumCiv created the Rights Way Forward method to help communities understand their rights, organize themselves, and advocate for positive change. This method is based on the Human Rights Approach, which ensures that people have a say in decisions that affect their lives. In Liberia, this approach has been used to improve land ownership rights, access to clean drinking water, better infrastructure, and essential public services.

Championing safe motherhood in rural Kenya

For a long time, we relied on others, avoiding our responsibilities. But this new approach has opened our eyes, says Tura Huka, Karra resident and community elder.

In Northern Kenya, maternal health remains a critical challenge, with maternal deaths reaching 1,000 per 100,000 births—far above the national average. Limited healthcare access, cultural barriers, and nomadic lifestyles make it difficult for pregnant women to receive proper care.

To address this, the Saku Accountability Forum (SAF), supported by ForumCiv, launched the #Dialogue4SafeMotherhood project in Marsabit County. Using the Right(s) Way Forward approach, the initiative empowered communities to identify challenges and create solutions. They developed a Community Action Plan, which outlined key concerns related to maternal health, the changes they wanted to achieve, the resources required, and the responsibilities of various stakeholders in implementing those changes.

The impact has been transformative. Community members built a 1.5 km road, cutting the distance to the nearest health centre from 7.5 km to 2.5 km, improving emergency access. Intergenerational dialogues have also challenged cultural norms, leading to increased maternal healthcare uptake and safer pregnancies.

Empowering the next generation of leaders

Kenya's demographic landscape is notably youthful. As of the 2019 Population and Housing Census, approximately 75% of the nation's 47.6 million people were under the age of 35. Specifically, individuals aged 18 to 34 constituted about 29% of the total population.  

Despite this significant representation, youth involvement in leadership and governance remains limited. In the 2022 general elections, the youth accounted for only about 40% of newly registered voters. This disparity highlights the underrepresentation of young people in political processes. 

The fellowship has influenced my goals to dream bigger, and to work on a project on social accountability because I believe there's a huge gap and the youth really need to be educated on social accountability so we all become active citizens, says participant Kerry Mwita.

In 2024, ForumCiv, together with Strathmore Business School, curated and implemented the NextGen Leaders Fellowship, which aimed to support ambitious young individuals in developing essential leadership skills, gaining practical experience, networking with experienced cross-sector leaders, and igniting positive change in their communities. 

Through a combination of workshops, mentorship, and field visits,18 enthusiastic young leaders from across Kenya completed the first module of this pilot programme. The next module will see them take up real-world community projects that will elevate their confidence, integrity, and unlock their full potential to lead with purpose and impact. 

Just having the knowledge on how the government runs the country, I wish every citizen could have that opportunity. It would change how we perceive things as a country, says participant Markline Orwa.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 

Strengthening democracy through journalism 

In Latin America, journalism faces significant challenges, including censorship, media concentration, and violence against journalists, all of which threaten freedom of expression and access to accurate information. These issues undermine democracy and hinder citizen participation. For instance, in 2024, at least four journalists were murdered in the region, highlighting the lethal risks media professionals confront. 

To address these challenges, ForumCiv, in partnership with the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), the Latin American Center for Journalistic Investigation (CLIP), and Reporters Without Borders Sweden (RSF Sweden), launched the "Networks Against Silence" Regional Program. This initiative aims to strengthen investigative journalism, protect journalists, and connect 120 media outlets across the region. It also supports five organizations in Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala, and has trained over 400 journalists and activists in digital, physical, and legal security. 

In 2024, the Networks Against Silence meeting facilitated collaboration among members of FLIP's Correspondents Network and Consonante's Local Journalists Network. Consonante is a media outlet for local content from local communicators in Colombia. This unprecedented event enabled national, regional, and local Colombian journalists to exchange experiences with peers from other Latin American countries, deepening their understanding of FLIP's work both within Colombia and internationally. 

By empowering journalists and fostering cross-border collaborations, the Networks Against Silence initiative plays a crucial role in defending press freedom and strengthening democratic processes throughout Latin America.

Five years of rural development and peacebuilding in Colombia

For many years, rural communities in Colombia have struggled with poverty, inequality, and violence, made worse by decades of armed conflict. The 2016 Peace Agreement was a step toward peace, but many communities still faced challenges in rebuilding their economies and reintegrating former combatants.

To support this process, Aremos Paz was launched as a five-year project (2019–2024) by ForumCiv and five Swedish civil society organizations (We Effect, SweFor, ACT Church of Sweden, Lutheran World Federation and Diakonia), working in 60 municipalities across 10 regions. The project helped rural communities and former combatants by strengthening local economies, promoting gender equality, and encouraging civic participation.

Aremos Paz partnered with local organizations to improve farming, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills. The project supported key agricultural activities, including cocoa, coffee, fruit trees, handicrafts, livestock farming (with a focus on sustainability), and food crops such as bananas, cassava, rice, and vegetable gardens. Special attention was given to women-led initiatives, ensuring they had access to resources and leadership opportunities. The project also addressed gender equality and the distribution of responsibilities in caregiving, recognizing the vital role of women in rural economies.

Beyond economic support, community meetings and workshops helped resolve conflicts and strengthen local leadership in areas heavily affected by the armed conflict. During the programmes five years, 9,472 people participated, 84 organizations benefited, and 104 community assemblies were held to promote dialogue and cooperation.

By creating opportunities for economic growth and community rebuilding, Aremos Paz has helped lay the foundation for a more stable and inclusive future for rural Colombia. The project’s impact continues as communities apply the skills and structures developed through these initiatives to ensure lasting peace and progress.

EUROPE

Supporting civil society in repressive environments

Originally designed to integrate Belarus’s growing IT sector into civic activism and expand funding for grassroots initiatives, the Innovation for Future Civil Society program was forced to adapt as the country faced unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, mass protests, and intensified repression shifted the program’s focus to sustaining civil society under extreme conditions. It became a critical support system for grassroots activism, alternative media, and civic education, helping exiled organizations stay connected with those still in Belarus.

Despite increasing restrictions, the program delivered significant results in 2024. A legal aid initiative empowered single mothers of children with disabilities to fight for their rights in court, securing essential services such as school transportation, alimony enforcement, and guardianship restoration. Since 2020, more than 700 lawyers have been disbarred for defending political prisoners. In response, exiled Belarusian lawyers formed an association that successfully advocated for legal reforms in an EU country, allowing them to continue practising law and providing legal support to fellow exiles.

As repression intensified, LGBTQI+ activists established a nationwide support network, creating safe spaces and offering psychological assistance to those facing persecution. A campaign to protect language rights resulted in over 500 product labels and websites incorporating Belarusian, reinforcing the country’s cultural identity despite aggressive Russification. With domestic violence services disappearing, a new initiative provided over 1,100 legal consultations and 500 psychological sessions, helping victims escape abuse and rebuild their lives.

Even in exile, Belarusian civil society continues to resist, innovate, and protect fundamental rights. The program has not only sustained grassroots activism but also strengthened the foundations for a democratic future, proving that even in the face of repression, resilience and collective action can drive lasting change.

Bridging the gap between experienced civil society and grassroots groups

Since 2020, Belarusian civil society has faced severe repression, forcing many activists, journalists, and organizations into exile. Despite this, grassroots movements persist, finding ways to organize, support communities, and push for change.

To strengthen these efforts, ForumCiv and two Belarusian partners launched a program to train activists, support grassroots initiatives, and connect those inside Belarus with exiled civil society organizations. Through online and in-person training, mentoring, and networking events, the program has helped build a more coordinated movement.

Since its launch, over 250 people have gained key civic activism skills, and more than 100 activists have been mentored to implement projects inside Belarus, despite the risks. Nearly 200 grassroots leaders participated in two major gatherings, with some taking significant risks to attend.
Funding has been critical in sustaining activism. Over €420,000 has been distributed in small grants, with more than half directly supporting activities inside Belarus. Projects have included youth entrepreneurship training, legal aid for women facing workplace discrimination, and a domestic violence awareness campaign that reached over 200,000 people.

Despite repression, Belarusian activists continue to resist and build networks for change. By strengthening grassroots movements and fostering connections between those inside and outside the country, this program is helping sustain civil society and keep the vision of a democratic Belarus alive.

Advocacy efforts in Sweden

In 2024, Sweden’s aid policy has become increasingly polarized, with civil society organizations coming under intense scrutiny. The debate on foreign aid has been marked by harsh criticism and negative portrayals in both mainstream media and political discourse. This growing hostility risks silencing civil society and undermining its crucial role in democracy.

ForumCiv has actively defended its values and the role of civil society by engaging in media advocacy, organizing a civil society festival, and launching a discussion series on Swedish aid policy, "Biståndskvarten". Our efforts have focused on providing factual insights and adding nuance to the debate.

Ahead of the EU elections, ForumCiv developed a voter guide centred on democracy, human rights, climate, and gender equality, which was completed by 5,148 participants. By fostering informed discussions and promoting engagement, we continue to strengthen the voice of civil society in an increasingly challenging political landscape.

People & Power: A festival celebrating civil society

On September 20, 2024, ForumCiv, Sweden’s largest platform for civil society, hosted the People & Power festival at their Södermalm office in Stockholm. This was the second time the festival was organized, bringing together activists, politicians, and organizations to highlight the crucial role of civil society in creating free, sustainable, and democratic societies. The theme of this year’s festival was sustainability, which shaped discussions on engagement, democracy, climate, and fashion.

The program featured conversations on youth involvement in civil society and politics, exploring the barriers and misconceptions about activism. Climate action was also a key topic, with discussions on overcoming common excuses for inaction and encouraging more sustainable choices. The state of democracy in Sweden and globally was another central focus, addressing warning signs and strategies to reverse negative trends.

Beyond the stage program, participants had the opportunity to meet and listen to ForumCiv members, connect with activists, and engage directly with politicians from six different political parties. The festival reinforced that without active civil society participation, democracy cannot thrive. By fostering dialogue and collaboration, People & Power continues to be an important platform for collective action in addressing today’s societal challenges.