Awa
Gai

Waging Justice for Women Fellow

Awa Gai is serving her fellowship with the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA). She specializes in women’s rights and gender justice, leveraging her legal expertise to advocate for women and girls. Awa founded She Awards Gambia, the country’s first and largest women’s awards platform, celebrating women and inspiring girls. Previously, Awa supported The Gambia’s transitional justice process working with Democracy International.

Awa holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria, where she received a graduate placement with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Her LLM thesis focused on enhancing access to justice for women in The Gambia. She is a 2024 Mandela Washington Fellow and a She’s the First Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow (2021-2024).

As a Waging Justice for Women Fellow, motivated by a commitment to advancing gender equality, Awa hopes to enhance her feminist lawyering skills during the fellowship and further advance gender justice, contributing to meaningful change for women and girls.