The Rallying Cry

About

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time.
But traditional leadership models are failing our planet.
More of the same will not work.

The Rallying Cry is about catalysing new leadership and investment approaches to scale private sector climate and gender solutions in Africa.

What Is The Rallying Cry?

The Rallying Cry is a small and growing international not-for-profit initiative that connects the international finance and development sectors. It is led by a collective of women business leaders and climate, gender, and development finance professionals and institutions.

Created in November 2020 with funding from FMO, The Rallying Cry exists to occupy the spaces between investor silos, identify and bridge the gaps, and convene voices for change. We are building a platform to amplify the collective wisdom, creativity and resourcefulness of women business leaders, to inspire global change and drive real climate action.

The Rallying Cry is currently focused on agribusinesses in Africa in the pilot countries of Kenya and Zambia, bringing local solutions to global challenges.

Impact

The Rallying Cry seeks to:

Ensure women from the global south and on the frontlines of climate change are represented in international dialogues and decision-making
Shift the narrative away from women as victims of climate change to agents of solution-driven change, locally and globally
Catalyse investment to grow and scale climate-and gender-smart enterprises across agricultural value chains in Africa
Support the development of financial instruments that are tailored to the needs of women entrepreneurs

Why Now?

The Rallying Cry is calling for collective climate leadership: a new model of inclusive, collaborative, co-creative leadership that is led by diverse experiences, voices and vision. We need collective global leadership action which includes and values first-hand experience and knowledge of climate change at ground level.

We want to shift the wisdom of women entrepreneurs on the frontlines of climate change to the forefront of global climate leadership.

Our Call

There is an urgent need and widespread demand for more inclusive action to address climate change. This should be led by those experiencing and adapting to it first.

Women across Africa are disproportionately impacted by climate change and are already driving solutions in their businesses. However, they are underrepresented in decision-making and economic participation, and are significantly less likely to access the investment needed to scale their enterprises.

Our Approach

Through collaborative partnerships, we work across ecosystems to accelerate global climate action by scaling local solutions.

The Rallying Cry Flywheel

Scaling local solutions to tackle global challenges

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Activities

Our projects and activities all support one or more of our four pillars:

1. ELEVATE WOMEN BUSINESS LEADERS

2. CATALYSE INVESTMENT FLOWS

3. SHIFT NARRATIVES THROUGH STORYTELLING

4. EXEMPLIFY COLLECTIVE CLIMATE LEADERSHIP

“I am trying to break the gender norms and stereotypes that keep women’s businesses small. To overcome the barriers, women need investment from people who understand and believe in them. Education and knowledge without money will lead me nowhere. Women need capital to grow.”

– Awuor Dorothy Otieno