The Kilimanjaro Initiative is a rural women’s mobilisation from across Africa towards an iconic moment at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro in October 2016. With access to and control over land and natural resources as an entry point, three regional caravans are expected to depart simultaneously from the South, East and West, culminating in a mass African rural women’s assembly and a symbolic ascent by a delegation of women. The women plan to proclaim a charter of principles and demands specifically on women’s access to and control over their land.
The Kilimanjaro Initiative was conceived during a meeting of rural women and civil society organisations in 2012, held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This initiative aims to create space for rural women to be able to participate in decision making processes about issues dear to them. Mt. Kilimanjaro powerfully symbolises the challenge of their climb, and represents a starting point to spreading a message throughout Africa. The year 2016 coincides with the end of the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs), marking the first year of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs,) and the need to ensure continued support for women’s equal access to and control over land.