In Enugu State, southeastern Nigeria, women are changing what leadership looks like. Across several rural communities, they are now part of traditional councils, leading education initiatives, and shaping decisions that once excluded them. This transformation did not begin with external aid—it began with dialogue, trust, and a shift in mindset inspired by the Tostan Community-Led Approach (CLA) and the LAFIA Community of Practice (CoP).
A Different Kind of Leadership
For Zainab Abdurasheed, Programs Officer at the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), the most powerful change has been seeing women find their voices.
“Women now have a voice,” she says. “They realize that their own change depends on them.”
This realization was first sparked during WRAPA’s Gender and Accountability Project (2018–2020), when women began engaging with local duty-bearers and learning about their rights in their own language, Igbo. For many, it was the first time they understood that access to education, health care, and representation were not privileges, but rights.
Building on What Already Exists
When WRAPA integrated Tostan’s community-led model, it didn’t replace existing systems—it strengthened them. The Community Transparency and Accountability Groups (CTAGs) formed under the earlier project evolved into Community Management Committees (CMCs), following the Tostan model.
“We realized that structure actually worked,” says Zainab. “So when the new phase of the project began in 2021, centered on implementing the National Gender Policy, we built on those same foundations.”
The CMCs, made up of both women and men, began addressing key issues such as education, health, and governance—while ensuring women played equal roles in decision-making.
Tradition Meets Transformation
The most visible change came when women began joining traditional leadership structures. Chiefs who had previously seen governance as a male domain started recognizing women’s contributions to community life.
“The chiefs were major stakeholders,” Zainab recalls. “They began to realize that women bring value, and they started including them in their cabinets.”
In Isiugwu community, Christie Nwankwo became one of nine women to receive the prestigious Nze chieftaincy title—an honor once reserved for men. Chiefs across Enugu sent letters of commendation to WRAPA, recognizing the transformation in their communities. These moments reflect a broader cultural shift: where inclusion and dialogue, not hierarchy, are shaping the future.
Beyond the Expected
Although the focus of the project was women’s inclusion in leadership, its ripple effects reached further. New committees formed, schools improved, and health campaigns gained momentum. The LAFIA Community of Practice, which connects organizations across West Africa, became an essential space for peer learning. Through it, Zainab and her team exchanged insights with colleagues from other countries adapting the same community-led methods.
At the heart of this story is the enduring partnership between WRAPA and CIRDDOC (Civil Resource Development and Documentation Center), the local implementing organization in Enugu State. The collaboration, which began with gender and accountability projects in 2018, deepened after Zainab attended the Tostan Training Center (TTC) in Thiès, Senegal. Upon returning, she helped lead a step-down training in Lagos, transferring knowledge directly to CIRDDOC and other partners. Together, they adapted the Community Management Committee model to Nigeria’s context—linking it with existing accountability structures to create a more inclusive and sustainable framework for local governance.
A Model for the Future
Today, Zainab continues to apply lessons from the LAFIA network in new contexts, including supporting internally displaced families and helping children regain access to education.
“Their children have lost everything,” she explains. “We’re creating small education spaces within their settlements so they don’t have to travel far to learn.”
Her approach is rooted in the same principle that drives every success story in Enugu: real development happens when communities own their future.
From Enugu to Bo to Thiès, this shared movement—connecting WRAPA, CIRDDOC, and Tostan—shows that when women lead, and when communities organize from within, change is not only possible. It is unstoppable.