We chose to tell the story of four countries where we work - Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Madagascar - to examine the issue of gender equality through a focused lens, adapting it to each specific context. What emerges is a mosaic of rights denied in different ways, which we try to advance, one tree at a time, through our work.

Kenya

Two levels of inequality: gender and geography
Kenya is often described as one of the most dynamic countries in East Africa. Technological innovation, economic growth, an active civil society, and a Constitution among the most advanced on the continent in terms of rights.

Yet gender equality in Kenya still has a long way to go, and along this path it intersects with another layer of inequality: the divide between urban and rural areas.

Political representation: rights on paper, uneven implementation
The 2010 Constitution introduced the two-thirds gender rule: no elective body can be composed of more than two-thirds of the same gender.
However, while in large cities women’s participation in public life is more visible—supported by professional networks and greater access to information and education—in rural areas cultural and economic barriers remain more deeply rooted, and access to representation is far more fragile.

Economy and work: two Kenyas
In urban areas, a significant share of women participate in the formal economy, start businesses, and work in services, finance, and technology. Nairobi is one of the region’s most vibrant economic hubs.
But in rural areas, the reality is different. Here women sustain subsistence agriculture, produce a significant portion of food, and support household economies—often without access to land, credit, or adequate productive tools.
The result is a double gap: gender-based and territorial.

Education and rights
Access to primary education has improved significantly, and the gender gap has narrowed. In urban centers, female participation in higher education is also increasing.
However, staying in the education system remains a challenge, especially where infrastructure and services are weaker.
Kenya has strengthened its legal framework against gender-based violence and harmful practices, but enforcement remains uneven. Legislative progress has been significant, but cultural change moves at a different pace.

Treedom in Kenya
In this context, Treedom’s work focuses on rural areas, where the double gap—gender and territorial—is most pronounced. In some cases, agroforestry projects are implemented on public land allocated specifically to create opportunities for farming communities largely composed of women. Women are often entrusted with leading nurseries, managing operations, and guiding community life, gaining social recognition that has both direct and indirect impact—demonstrating, through example, the possibility of positive change.

Tanzania

A woman leads a country where equality is still distant
In Tanzania, women’s conditions reflect a clear contradiction: significant institutional recognition of gender equality coexists with deep, entrenched inequalities in everyday life.

Political representation: top-down change
Tanzania has introduced reserved seats for women in Parliament (at least 30%) and is currently led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the death of John Magufuli. A distinctive case in the regional landscape, though largely the result of institutional mechanisms rather than grassroots change.
Moreover, female presence in institutions does not automatically translate into greater economic and social power, especially at the local level. Still, one of Hassan’s early actions—lifting the ban on teenage mothers returning to school—remains significant.

Economy and work: the weight of informality
Women participate extensively in the workforce, particularly in agriculture and the informal sector, contributing decisively to food security. However, they often work without protections, with low incomes and limited access to land: although legally allowed to own it, only 9% of private land is owned by women. Access to credit and productive resources is also limited.

Education and rights
Access to primary education is nearly equal, but critical issues emerge in secondary education: poverty, domestic burdens, early marriage, and teenage pregnancy hinder completion. Equal access at entry does not guarantee equal opportunity over time.
Gender-based violence remains widespread and is one of the main barriers to autonomy. Early marriage and adolescent pregnancy affect education, health, and economic independence, highlighting the gap between formal rights and lived realities.

Treedom in Tanzania
In this context, Treedom operates where inequality is most entrenched: in rural areas and in access to resources. Through agroforestry projects involving local communities, it strengthens women’s roles as producers, often assigning them leadership positions. This creates change that complements institutional policies with concrete and sustainable economic opportunities.

Ghana

A country steadily male-dominated
Ghana is often cited as one of the most stable and institutionally solid countries in West Africa, with economic growth, a relatively consolidated democratic system, and progress in health and education.
Yet here too, gender equality advances unevenly, revealing a clear limitation: the gap between widespread inclusion and real access to positions of power.

Political representation: limited presence
Despite democratic stability, female representation in Parliament remains low, and only recently have measures been introduced to strengthen it. Women participate actively in public life and civil society, but access to top decision-making roles remains restricted. Political and economic leadership is still largely male, showing that institutional stability has not translated into significant progress in gender equality.

Economy and work: participation without advancement
Ghanaian women participate significantly in the labor market, especially in trade and informal services. They are central to local markets and urban economies, but often through small-scale activities with limited access to credit.
Female labor is widespread but rarely enables real upward mobility: few women reach high-level managerial or entrepreneurial positions. The challenge is not entry into work, but the possibility of growth.

Education and rights
Access to primary education is close to parity, and progress in secondary education is also evident. Teenage pregnancy rates are lower than in many countries in the region, and maternal mortality has improved significantly.
However, gaps remain in adult literacy and post-school opportunities. The key issue is converting educational access into economic and political autonomy.

Treedom in Ghana
In this context, Treedom supports rural and agricultural communities, where access to resources remains a determining factor. Strengthening income through agroforestry helps build economic autonomy, which in turn translates into greater decision-making power for women.

Madagascar

Extreme fragility, extreme inequality
In Madagascar, women’s conditions are shaped by widespread economic and institutional fragility. Poverty, environmental vulnerability, and weak public services make gender equality a particularly complex challenge. Here, inequality is not only about access to power, but about everyday living conditions.

Political representation: limited visibility
Female presence in institutions is limited and not supported by structured quota systems. Women participate in community life and local economies, but political representation remains fragile and inconsistent, to put it mildly. In a context marked by economic instability, access to leadership is often mediated by resources and power networks that are predominantly male.

Economy and work: invisible contribution
Women are central to agriculture and subsistence economies, producing a significant share of food and sustaining family survival. However, they work in conditions of extreme vulnerability, with limited access to land, credit, and productive tools.
High participation does not translate into control over resources. The country’s economic fragility amplifies dependency and reduces space for autonomy.

Education and rights
Access to primary education is formally close to parity, but completion rates remain low. Poverty, early marriage, and teenage pregnancy frequently interrupt girls’ education. Health services are limited, and maternal mortality remains high.
In this context, the gap between formal rights and actual rights is particularly evident.

Treedom in Madagascar
In Madagascar, Treedom works in the most vulnerable rural areas, supporting agricultural communities through agroforestry projects that generate income and strengthen food security. Actively involving women in nursery management and tree care provides not only economic opportunities but also tangible social recognition.