Women in the Ethiopian region of Tigray have a tough life, with limited access to financial, medical, educational and social support systems. Many women suffer as a result of harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, child marriage and abduction. The Joint Programme “Leave No Woman Behind” was created to empower women and girls through health and business education, literacy training and better access to loans and reproductive services. 

Senegal is experiencing a high rate of environmental degradation, with rapid deforestation, soil erosion, loss of arable land and a rise in air and water pollution. The Joint Programme was designed to reverse the decline in Senegal's forest ecosystems and to encourage the sustainable use of forest ecosystem services, with the aim of improving livelihoods for vulnerable groups in those areas. 

Southern Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and Mozambique is already experiencing the devastating effects of increased droughts, floods and cyclones on agricultural livelihoods in rural and coastal areas. The Joint Programme was created to ensure that environmental issues are mainstreamed in central and local plans and programmes, and to help communities adapt to climate change by boosting their coping mechanisms and broadening their options for earning a living.