Climate Action & Resilience
Community-level climate adaptation, resilience planning and access to climate finance, designed and led by the women who carry the burden of climate shocks.
Programme status: In design
United Sustainability Action for Women
Women lead the change sustainability needs.
USAW is a Not for Profit organization empowering women and the youth to lead sustainable change within their communities.
Who we are
Women are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation, yet remain underrepresented in the leadership, policies and practices that shape sustainability outcomes.
USAW exists to close that gap directly, rather than treat women as passive beneficiaries of interventions designed by others.
We work with governments, academia, development partners, communities and businesses to deliver sustainable impact through partnerships, innovation and action - advancing customized, innovative solutions through education, economic opportunity and community action.
The problem
Why this work exists
USAW is a new organization and does not yet have results of its own to report. These are the conditions we were formed to change.
80%
of people displaced by climate change are women.
1 in 3
is the share of women among national delegates to UN climate negotiations - the rooms where adaptation is decided.
20–30%
is how much farm yields could rise if women farmers had the same access to resources as men.
Under 1%
of gender-focused international funding reaches grassroots women-led organizations directly.
How we work
Three commitments that shape every programme
Sustainability
Climate action and resource stewardship rooted in local knowledge.
Empowerment
Skills, capital, and platforms that put women in decision-making roles.
Community
Solidarity networks that outlast any single campaign or grant cycle.
Theory of change
One causal logic, running through everything we do
If women gain access to education, resources and platforms, they will lead sustainability action that improves both livelihoods and environmental outcomes.
- Access to education, resources and platforms
- Leadership by women in sustainability action
- Outcomes for livelihoods and the environment
Our work
A ten-pillar programme portfolio
Ten interconnected programme areas, each sitting under one of our four strategic goals and delivered through Sustainability Education Workshops, Green Skills Training, the Women's Leadership Program and Community Action Projects.
Water & Ocean Stewardship
Water security, reclamation and stormwater capture on land; marine conservation, ocean plastics and coastal livelihoods at the shoreline.
Programme status: In design
Circular Economy
Turning waste streams into women-owned enterprises - recycling, green manufacturing and waste-to-value businesses.
Programme status: In design
Green Enterprise & Green Jobs
Growing women-led green businesses through skills training, access to finance, entrepreneurship incubation and routes into cross-border trade.
Programme status: In design
Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security
Climate-smart agriculture, seed banking, urban gardening and nature-based solutions that hold food systems together as the climate shifts.
Programme status: In design
Renewable Energy & Energy Access
Solar entrepreneurship, clean cooking and energy access - treating the last mile of the energy transition as a business women own rather than a service they receive.
Programme status: In design
Women's Leadership & Governance
A Leadership Academy, mentorship and advocacy training that put women into the environmental policy and governance forums where decisions are actually made.
Programme status: In design
Environmental Justice & Youth Engagement
Bringing young people, and the communities carrying the heaviest environmental burden, into sustainability leadership from age 15 upward.
Programme status: In design
Digital Inclusion & AI for Sustainability
Digital literacy for women, and the practical use of data and AI tools in environmental monitoring, enterprise and advocacy.
Programme status: In design
Research, Policy & Advocacy
Independent research that generates the evidence base for USAW's own programming and for the policy positions it advances.
Programme status: In design
Where we work
Three countries, at three different stages
United States
Operating
Principal office in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chartered under Louisiana law.
Ghana
In establishment
Operational presence being established, with local partnerships in development.
Canada
Planned
Registration planned during Phase 2 of the implementation strategy.
We publish our registration status in each country openly, including where it is still in progress. See our governance and transparency page.
Our commitments
What we intend to have achieved by 2030
These are targets, not results. We publish them now so that our first impact report can be measured against something we said in public before we started.
5,000+
women and youth trained
Sustainability Education
250+
women-led green enterprises supported
Economic Empowerment
25+
Community Chapters active across Ghana, the US and Canada
Community Engagement
100+
policy engagements by supported women
Advocacy & Leadership