ICW Projects
Two Funds, One Mission: Advancing Women’s Rights Worldwide
The Small Development Fund
The heart of ICW-CIF’s grassroots action.
The Small Development Fund is the primary instrument through which the International Council of Women (ICW-CIF) turns its mission into action at the grassroots level. It empowers women members to identify needs, design solutions, and lead change within their own communities.
Through seed grants of up to €4,500 net, the Fund supports women-led initiatives developed from the ground up, nurtured by affiliated National Councils, and implemented with close support and oversight from ICW-CIF. This bottom-up approach ensures that resources reach where they matter most: women acting for women.
Sustained by the solidarity of National Councils and Life members, the Small Development Fund embodies ICW-CIF’s core values of leadership, participation, and collective responsibility. It is where women’s ideas become action, and local initiatives grow into lasting impact.
The Lydie Rossini Fund
Empowering women. Transforming communities. Shaping the future.
The Lydie Rossini Fund was created through the visionary generosity of Madame Lydie Rossini van Hissenhoven, Patron of the International Council of Women (ICW-CIF), to advance the rights, dignity, and opportunities of women and girls across the globe.
Guided by the enduring mission of ICW-CIF since 1888, the Fund supports women-led development initiatives that promote equality, education, economic empowerment, leadership, peace, and freedom from violence. Each project reflects a simple but powerful principle: when women are empowered, families thrive, communities grow stronger, and societies become more just and sustainable.
Through the commitment and expertise of ICW-CIF affiliated National Councils, the Lydie Rossini Fund invests in locally driven solutions, designed by women, for women, creating lasting impact where it matters most.
Refurbishing and upgrading of TURFLOOP Preschool-Cum-After Care and Youth Post Rehabilitation Centre
In the predominantly rural Limpopo Province, working women face serious challenges in securing safe childcare while they are at work. Built in 1986 by the National Council of African Women (NCAW), the Turfloop Pre-School was created to support these mothers and their children. However, the deterioration of fencing and security infrastructure has left the facility vulnerable to vandalism and unsafe for children, forcing its closure.
This project aims to rehabilitate and reopen the Turfloop Pre-School by restoring security, upgrading facilities to meet current Early Childhood Learning and Development standards, and creating a safe, nurturing environment for children. The project will also contribute to women’s empowerment and youth support, offering skills development opportunities and post-rehabilitation care for vulnerable young people.
By revitalising this centre, the project seeks to support rural working women, protect children, and restore hope and opportunities within the community.
Douar Jmouhi Sewing Cooperative
The cooperative works to improve the quality of life of women and their families, especially girls, by promoting women’s empowerment through sewing and entrepreneurship.
It supports vulnerable women in transforming technical sewing skills into income-generating projects, promotes equality of opportunity, and helps women—particularly the poorest—achieve financial independence.
This initiative is significant as it provides women with essential skills and knowledge to improve their social and economic status, both locally and beyond.
Think, Learn and Succeed. A Short Digital Entrepreneurship Course
The project aims to combat poverty and social exclusion through education, with a focus on business and technology. It provides vulnerable women with the opportunity to start their own online businesses, develop entrepreneurial skills, build confidence, and achieve financial independence.
The project also targets migrants and third-country nationals who wish to strengthen their knowledge, develop new skills, and create online income-generating activities.
By offering affordable access to essential digital and business skills, the project enables women to launch online activities at a much lower cost than traditional start-ups, supporting long-term economic and social inclusion.
Improving the quality of life of women with disabling diseases in Catalonia, including elderly women
The program aims to support, empower, and educate women—particularly elderly women—living with chronic rheumatic diseases, with a focus on shared responsibility for care and self-care. It seeks to improve their physical and mental well-being, strengthen self-worth, and enhance emotional and social resources, while promoting equity in care responsibilities within families and communities.
Through peer mentoring, training on gender equality in care, psychological support, and improved access to information and networks, the program helps women better manage their health, reduce isolation, and actively engage in their care. It also collects and analyzes data to highlight gender inequalities in care work and advocates for systemic changes in healthcare policies and practices, making visible the realities of women who combine illness, disability, ageing, and caregiving roles
WASTO at General Mariano Alvarez
The project aims to improve solid waste management in Mati, Davao Oriental by assessing current practices and strengthening the role of women in waste management systems. It will develop and implement eco-friendly and sustainable solutions that actively involve women, while promoting household awareness and practices in waste segregation, reduction, recycling, and marketing.
By diverting plastic waste from rivers and oceans, the project will turn single-use plastics into income-generating resources. Collected plastics will be recycled into furniture in partnership with Winder Recycling Company in Davao City. The project, implemented over 15 months, will create direct and indirect employment for women, increase their incomes, and reduce solid waste generation in the municipality. After the initial setup, the project will become self-sustaining through the sale of recycled products, with revenues reinvested in operations and maintenance.
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