Our Mission
LandBridge supports women around the world in breaking down barriers to landownership.
Globally, women own less than 20% of the world’s land and have less secure land rights compared to men.
Without legal rights to their land, women are frequently excluded from decision-making processes and are more susceptible to displacement and exploitation.
Why Land Ownership is Crucial
Eviction and Abuse
Women are especially vulnerable to the dangers of informal housing arrangements, facing threats of violence and exploitation, limited access to dispute resolution and remedies, and the constant risk of eviction and displacement (NRC, 2014).
Inheritance Rights
Women often face significant hurdles inheriting property. A study in Zambia revealed that over one-third of widows lost access to family land after their husband passed away.
“Having a title gives me assurance that the place is mine and that my children can inherit.” – Cynthia Phiri, Zambia
Better Health
Children of mothers who own land are over 30% less likely to be severely underweight compared to children of women who do not own land. Additionally, women who own land are significantly more likely to have the final say in household decisions, reflecting greater empowerment.
Where It All Began
LandBridge, a women-led nonprofit, was founded by three women, namely Rania, Ailey, and Amanda, with expertise in land tenure and women’s land rights. With a combined 30 years of experience, we’ve observed that women were frequently overlooked in the land rights process. Even those who managed to prove land ownership often cannot afford the final step: the title or certification fee.
We realized we could make a significant impact by bridging this final gap. We support vulnerable women who have established land ownership but cannot afford the title fee, thereby securing their legal proof of land rights.
Our Team
Rania
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Rania is a dynamic community organizer, strategic marketing leader, advocate, and driver of change with over 15 years of direct leadership experience in a wide variety of industries and organizations. She is the former director of marketing and public relations for a public benefit land startup, and founder and leader of a national social justice art project created as a response to confederate monuments in the United States. She has significant experience in communications and branding strategy, community development, organizational leadership, project management, international non-profit grassroots fundraising, and customer experience strategy. She is originally from Sudan and is fluent in Arabic. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology and Society from Stanford University.
Ailey
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Ailey Kaiser Hughes is a senior program leader, strategic planner, and international development professional with over 15 years of global experience in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ghana, India, Japan, Liberia, Mexico, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zambia, and the USA. She has worked in the land sector since 2009, with expertise in women’s land rights, customary land rights, systematic land titling, land administration, and technology. Ailey has a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Kyrgyzstan.
Amanda
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Amanda Richardson is the founder of Resource Equity, a U.S.-based international nonprofit that advances women’s rights to land and natural resources. Amanda is a gender and land tenure expert with more than a decade of experience in research, program design and analysis, project management, and public policy. She has experience working on the intersections between women’s land rights and gender-based violence, food security, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, corruption, climate change, investments, and empowerment. She has extensive teaching and presentation experience, and has worked in Ghana, India, Kenya, Kosovo, Liberia, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United States. She holds a law degree from Columbia Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Amherst College.