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By deliberately working towards tracking and supporting the well-being of women and girls through trauma healing and overcoming critical steps to wholesomely recover from war impact, Women’s International Peace Centre from time to time organises camps for adolescent girls from different schools in conflict affected areas.

On 4^th and 5^th March 2022, the Peace Centre organised a Girls’ Power Camp at Orungo Primary School in Amuria district under the theme ‘Building our leadership’ aimed at raising awareness on sexual and reproductive health rights, leadership, and managing the evolutionary trends of COVID-19.

The two-day camp brought together a total of 171 female students from Primary Five, Six, and Seven.

Sessions facilitated in the camp included; –

Reflection on pupils’ lives.

The session examined the impact of the closure of schools and the new challenges emerging with the new trends in COVID-19. Responses from the students reflected an increase in; orphaned children as a result of parents’ death from COVID-19, forced early marriages, teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions, child abuse, GBV in form of sexual harassment, and many more.

Understanding our bodies

This session dealt with the physical and physiological changes during the growth and development of adolescent girls and how to understand their bodies. The physiological changes discussed included; Early marriage and childbearing; Contraction of infectious diseases like (AIDS/sexually transmitted infections); Sexual orientation, abuse or violence, and gender discrimination.

With the physical changes, Sr. Safia Ibiara explained that girls in their adolescence stage would start to experience breast enlargement, growth of pubic hair around their vaginal area, and menstruation which was defined as the shedding of the inner lining of the uterus/uterine wall that occurs during the stage of ripeness called ovulation.

The discussion also highlighted the facilitator’s recommendations for young girls to follow. These  included;

• Growth and development happens differently for everyone therefore girls were to stop comparing themselves to others. They were discouraged from using creams that had become popular for hip and buttock enhancement.
• Menstruation is a natural occurrence that begins as early as 8/9 years old and therefore those who started menstruating shouldn’t feel embarrassed.
• Students to take extra care of their vaginal health by frequently washing themselves and their private parts. They were encouraged to keep their undergarments clean and ensure personal hygiene was maintained especially during their menstruation period by bathing twice/thrice a day where applicable.
• Pubic hair is natural and therefore they shouldnot be ashamed of it. Young girls were encouraged to shave regularly using a clean razor blade or a shaver.
• Avoid having bad odor from poor hygiene and rather use deodorant or antiperspirant where applicable.
• Brushing teeth twice a day and were taught to brush in a circular motion and ensure they scrubbed their tongues as well.
• Ensuring smartness by keeping nails short and neat, ironing uniforms, keeping uniforms neatly tucked, and clothes clean.
• Abstaining from sex as they were still young. They were informed about HIV/AIDS, an incurable sexually transmitted disease, and other infections like Gonorrhea and Syphilis which caused health complications for young girls.
• Another consequence of what Sr. Safia termed as pre-mature sex was early pregnancy which also posed more complications for young girls like vaginal fistula that would lead to uncontrollable passing of urine.
• Seeking counsel with their senior women teachers or other teachers they felt comfortable with in cases where they had no other adult to rely on; on issues relating to their sexual and reproductive health, as well as their general well-being.

Finally, students were taught step by step practical skilling on making re-usable menstrual pads.

Evidence shows that women are always affected by war and yet are usually left out of peace processes. With the increasing need to deepen understanding of women’s participation in peacebuilding and the UNSCR 1325 key pillars of participation, prevention, protection and refugee recovery, Women’s International Peace Centre and Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) with support from the Embassy of Ireland partnered in an 8-month project “Women at the Centre of Sustaining Peace in Uganda” to promote the implementation of Uganda’s National Action Plan III (2021 – 2025) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) at the national level and in Karamoja, particularly Kotido and Moroto districts.

Read More “Women at the Centre of Sustaining Peace in Uganda Project Inception Meetings”

By implementing the project; Strengthening Capacities for Gender Based Violence Prevention and Peace Building in Humanitarian Context in Adjumani district, The Peace Centre conducted 4 monthly community meetings to influence people’s attitudes on Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Women Peace Security concerns.

The four meetings were held in Ciforo Sub-County and Agojo Refugee settlement respectively between 1^st and 7^th March 2022 with a total of 444 people (325 females and 119 males) including area local council leaders in the host community and refugee welfare council in the refugee community.

Participants identified key contributing factors to VAW which they shared with culture highlighted as the root cause of VAW causing an imbalance of power between men and women. Other factors included; poor communication, poverty, alcoholism and drug abuse, ignorance, childlessness, and early marriage among other things.

The meetings facilitated in-depth discussion on VAW and enabled participants to identify with some scenarios in their community which helped them to develop recommendations for prevention and attitude change on key violence triggers such as sex in marriage, sex in pregnancy, cleared misconception on women’s emancipation and increased understanding that it’s about women’s participation in decision making, prevention of VAW and protection of women and girls from all forms of violence.

In addition, the meetings also enhanced participants’ understanding of responding to issues of VAW. This mainly addressed people’s perceptions and got them to appreciate that; all children are valuable regardless of their sex, women should be more involved in decision-making and victims of GBV should not be blamed for what has happened to them.

Participants were encouraged to intentionally and continuously challenge beliefs and community silence of VAW because Violence Against one woman is an injustice to all women and is a violation of Human Rights. Therefore, it is everyone’s responsibility to

Tensions between refugees and the host communities over natural resources, livelihoods and land have sparked a few violent incidents and if not properly addressed could escalate into a broader conflict. The Peace Centre held 2 peace mediation sessions on 28th February and 5th March in Agojo refugee settlement over resource conflicts between the refugee and host community and a land conflict between the community of Ciforo and the Local Government over compensation of landowners whose land has been encroached by the opening of roads in Ciforo Central. 

Read More “Mediation Dialogues in the Host and Refugee Communities in Adjumani District”

On 3^rd March 2022, the Peace Centre convened a Stakeholder’s Advocacy Dialogue in Adjumani for women leaders and duty bearers at the District level to interface on women, peace and security issues. The meeting brought together 40 participants including community activists, village councillors, cultural leaders, local council leaders and district leaders.

The dialogue discussed key advocacy issues such as high bride price alcoholism, drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, poor performance and low education of girls, Land and property rights, polygamy and its associated effects by stakeholders in the course of implementing action against GBV and creating peace within communities.

During the meeting, stakeholders resolved on;

• The need to emphasise family consent in handling land matters.
• Continuous sensitization among refugees
• Documentation of agreements regarding land utilization
• The need to advocate for mindset change since most people’s minds are dominated by cultural norms that perpetuate violence against women.
• Need to profile role model men for men to appreciate violent free relationships.
• Design activities that engage the entire household.
• Partners to consider incorporating gender action learning tools in the GBV prevention methodology.
• Local council 5 office to ensure implementation of the district ordinance on time for taking alcohol and make more copies available to the stakeholders at different levels.
• Emphasize the benefits and enhance awareness for the community to embrace change.
• Need to emphasize on rights-based approach with women and children being considered in all aspects of development

The meeting also clarified on Uganda’s constitution allowance for the free movement of refugees and peaceful coexistence. This implied that refugees cannot be denied access to animals because of limited grazing land considering that some are pastoralists. As a solution to the problem of stray animals, fines were imposed for both refugees and host communities whose animals are caught straying in people’s gardens.

By the end of the meeting, stakeholders resolved that every one of them had a role to play in ensuring peace in the community by taking action to drive the change they desire to see rather than waiting for others to cause the change for them.

“Conflicts start with us and it’s us to cause change because without peace all that we invest in is vanity. We should not wait for parliament to come and cause a change in our community” the Vice-chairperson LC5 emphasised.

On 24th February, The Peace Centre held a monitoring, mentorship and technical support workshop with 30 Community Activists from the host community of Ciforo Sub County and refugee communities ofAgojo settlement. The purpose of the workshop was to document the actions taken by community activists in preventing and responding to violence against women collectively or individually.

Read More “Monitoring, Mentorship and Technical Support for Community Activists”

The Gender Is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Network virtually convened the 38 GIMAC, in line with the African Union (AU)’s decision to spotlight the critical role of nutrition in facilitating a healthy and prosperous continent. The meeting took place against the backdrop of various normative frameworks adopted by the African Union, in pursuit of a healthy continent, including the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agriculture Growth and Transformation, which committed to ending hunger and reducing child stunting to 10 per cent and the underweight to 5 per cent by the year 2025. The 38 GIMAC further recognized the adoption of several normative instruments and policies such as the Africa Health Strategy 2016 – 2030; the Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy 2015 – 2025 (ARNS); the Declaration on Nutrition Security for Inclusive Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Africa; and the Resolution on the Establishment of an Organization of African Unity (OAU) Inter-African Centre for Food Science, Technology and Nutrition.

Read More “Recommendations from the 38th GIMAC on Advancing Women’s Access to Economic Resources to Build Our Continent’s Resilience in Nutrition.”

From 1st to 4th February 2022,  the Gender Is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC Network) convened its 38^thVirtual Pre-summit CSOs Consultative meeting under the theme: Advancing Women’s Access to Economic Resources to Build Our Continent’s Resilience in Nutrition in Addis Ababa. 

The 38th GIMAC was co-moderated by Women’s International Peace Centre(The Peace Centre) and the Institute for Social Transformation, with support from the AU Commission for Social Affairs, the Office of the Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security and the AU Women, Youth, Gender and Development Directorate (AU YWGDD) sought to achieve the following objectives through the Pre-Summit Consultation;

1. Consolidate CSOs’ review of the AU legal and strategic framework on food security and nutrition taking a gender-transformative approach, focusing on achievements and critical gaps towards implementation;
2. Propose rights-based, inclusive, effective, and efficient strategies that enhance and utilize the agency and role of women and girls in realizing the vision for ending hunger and addressing hunger;
3. Strengthen intergenerationally and gender transformative approach towards the transformation of societal norms and institutional structures that guarantee a conducive environment for women’s human and economic rights;
4. Celebrate, document, and share best practices on innovations and positive approaches on gender and nutrition that advance gender equality; and
5. Provide space for African CSO’s strategic engagement with AU, RECs, UN Agencies, International Organizations, and other stakeholders.

Held in a hybrid and in-person format, the meeting brought together over 200 delegates from more than 20 countries, representing the AU, United Nations officials, Diplomatic missions, development partners, civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector and other interested groups. Key partners that participated in meetings included the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Plan International, MSD for Mothers, Oxfam, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and Action Aid.

The Peace Centre facilitated partners of 3 national partners from Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the pre-summit meeting to inform discussions around the 2022 African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of Ste and Government.

Partners made presentations and recommendations that were received by the AU Women Gender and Youth Directorate (AUWGYD) Director, AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, the AU Envoy on Youth and East African Community representative for presentation to technical committees and member states representations.

These focused on the need for the AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and member States to mainstream gender equality in food security responses in fragile states and to strengthen gender inclusiveness in its preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, peace-making, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction.

Given that 38GIMAC was held against the backdrop of the pandemic seismic shifts triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially disruptions on the continent’s livelihoods and economies, participants noted how the corresponding mitigation measures such as partial lockdowns, border closures and movement restrictions, have been at the expense of reducing malnutrition.  The unprecedented Covid-19 prevention protocols not only resulted in constricted business activity, but also disrupted food supply chains, and curtailed small-scale agriculture, which is the main source of food and nutrition security in Africa. Not to talk of the full, and partial closure of schools, which resulted in a loss of access to school-feeding programmes, which has negatively affected the lives of children. Additionally, safety net programmes, including community nutrition programmes for women and children that were temporarily halted, exposed populations to food insecurity.

The recommendations from the 38 GIMAC Pre Summit meeting also emphasized the need to address structural and systemic drivers of poverty, gender inequality and socio-economic vulnerability, discrimination and violence against women and girls, as well as challenges of corruption, poor governance and limited political participation by women and youth.

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