(CNN) -- In 2010 the African Union launched a decade-long initiative to promote women's empowerment and put female rights at the heart of development in the billion-strong continent. Dubbed African Women's Decade (AWD 2010-2020), the ambitious scheme aims to create the conditions for the active participation of women in the socio-economic development of the continent. Now, more than two years after the Nairobi launch, African Voices caught up with three diaspora-based, prominent African activists to discuss the current state of women's rights in the continent. CNN spoke to Rainatou Sow, Marie-Claire Faray and CNN Hero Betty Makoni -- an edited version of the interviews follows.
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Rainatou Sow, Marie-Claire Faray and Betty Makoni are advocates for equal rights
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Through their organizations they aim to empower and inspire all African women
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In 2010 the African Union launched the African Women's Decade
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The initiative promotes female empowerment and gender equality
Rainatou Sow
Rainatou Sow
@placeholder is the founder and executive director of "Make Every Woman Count," an organization that monitors female rights in every African country.
Marie
Marie
@placeholder-Claire Faray: We really hope to bring a lot of women on board to first of all commit to changing at the individual level, local level, national level and international level.
Betty Makoni
Betty Makoni
Among the many honors she has received, @placeholder was named a CNN Hero in 2009.
CNN Hero
Among the many honors she has received, Makoni was named a @placeholder in 2009.