Reshaping Peace and Security: Learning from Grassroots Women's Policy Expertise-Insights as shared By Leymah Gwobee

2nd August, Nairobi- The Women, Peace and Security-Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4) in partnership with Columbia Global Centers | Nairobi hosted an invoking panel to an evening of reflection, conversation and dialogue on how African women, continue to change and shape the narrative of Peace in Africa powerfully. Leymah Gwobee, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and The Peace and Social Justice fellowship cohort, drawn from Cameroon, Ghana, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Kenya,  reflected on their respective experiences that demonstrate how women at the community level, are pursuing peace and reconciliation.

An intimate gathering that brought together over 100 guests who in their way are also contributing to the efforts of peace, conflict resolution, gender inclusion, development, education, and media. In her opening remarks, Ms. Gwobee noted throughout her life's work, women and particularly those at the community level are the ones engaged in the 'everyday peace work.' "Where peace is often characterized as the demilitarization of societies, peace is also about improved livelihoods through better education, health, and economic livelihoods, justice, inclusivity in leadership and policy," she added.

The multi-sectoral approach to change this narrative lies in a multi-layered approach that involves engaging governments, academia and development agencies on what they coined as 'everyday activism' to inculcate research and documentation- the many resolute works of change, healing, empowerment, and more importantly, the all-encompassing hope. “Across the World, where inter-generational hope, inequality, dialogue, and trauma healing are absent” Ms. Gbowee noted challenges will always exist.  Similarly, deliberate leveraging financial resources to these women and communities, facilitates the efforts of scale and bridge initiatives from 'grassroots'-upwards to the policy level. Similarly invoking the support of the patriarch across board symbolizes the solidarity of communities and societies as the next frontier. The unified approach in the pursuit of governance and equity of resources for all.

Ayo Ayoola Amale, the founder and president of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) -Ghana Chapter remarked 'a woman power is in her voice. Historically, the voice has been silenced either at the patriarchal or politically, and they bear the brunt of conflict, injustice, and equality thus women understand the narrative, and seek to change the narrative".

The Peace and Social Justice Fellowship established by the Women, Peace, and Security embodies the lifelong work of Leymah Gwobee, to not only grow the grassroots peace movement but allow women from across Africa to walk in the path of the very many who have dared speak and illuminate the path to freedom and justice.  Through the fellowship, the program equips the women across Africa with the skills, methodology, resources, networks, and mentorship to empower and allow documentation of their community-based initiatives. "Be the moral voice, ask hard questions of society, which is confronting everyday realities, as peace is 'every condition that makes a person whole' noted Ms. Gwobee.

The Peace and Social Justice Fellowship -Cohort 1 fellows are:

1. Christelle Bay, Founder and Director of the Hope for the Needy (HOFNA) in Cameroon.
2. Riya Yuyada, Founder and Director, Crown the and Woman-South Sudan,
3. Betty Ochongo, Director-Coast Women in Development-Kenya and
4. Gillian Chinzete Acting Director- Institute for Young Women's Development –Zimbabwe
5. Ayo Ayoola Amale, the Founder and President of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) -Ghana Chapter.