GPW Tanzania joined a coalition of local civic organizations in Tanzania including Global Peace Foundation, Bright Jamii Initiative, Center for Youth Dialogue (CYD) and Sisters Without Borders(SWB) and many other partners to implement the Women Preventing Violent Extremism Project (WPVE) between February and March 2021. The project worked under the areas of women empowerment, awareness creation and legal empowerment to prevent and respond to violent extremism and increase women participation in Peace Sustainability reaching 130 beneficiaries in the districts of Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
The WPVE project encouraged women participation in violence prevention and peacemaking in their societies through different events, training, awareness, discussions and dialogues directed towards capacity building of women leaders, raising awareness and peacebuilding. Similarly, with the participation of both men and women in peacebuilding dialogues, the projects helped the participants realize the importance of women’s value and their participation in peacebuilding.
“We have come to encourage women's participation in preventing violence and maintaining PEACE from home giving education that aims to value and promote Women's ability to participate in peace and protection issues” - Sisters Without Borders
From 16-19 February, a two hours coffee hub discussion was conducted for men to understand their roles in supporting women’ participation in VPPS and commit to take action. The participating men came up with interventions and suggestions to create a more safer and open space for women to participate in affairs in their home and society.
Similarly, the participating women’s engagement in the community dialogue with the local authorities was exceptionally fruitful as it helped identify opportunities for women participation and develop resolutions to enhance it. With the leadership training to the local women leaders, the participants gained understanding on conflict analysis, management and resolution and women’s influence in peace sustainability.
Women are key figures in achieving violence prevention and building peace. Our Leaders must make sure that more women participate in these community-based committees for peace and security as well as those committees responsible for conflict resolutions because women understand the community better than men.
Before the leadership training, 65% had the attitude that women cannot lead men and have no dream of being a community leader which later changed as 85% of women understood leadership skills and ways to participate in decision making.
Events with the message, “without women no peace and without peace no women '' was organized which advocated and supported women participation in VPPS and also a model by law was presented to local authority and influential celebrities aimed at promoting women participation in VPPS.
In Tanzania, women are often not actively participating in the peacebuilding process, however the participatory approach of WPVE includes both men and women, and has helped foster a safe environment for women participation in peacebuilding. The WPVE project would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of our partners in Tanzania. We thank you and look forward to continuing our impactful works together.