Responding to the absence of young women in policy spaces and programming on peace and security, The Peace Centre is this week training young women from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Uganda to empower them to be leaders and agents of peace in the Feminist leadership Institute in Seeta, Uganda.
Young women are often subject to double marginalization – as women, and as young people. In many societies and families, they are the last to eat, to speak, to receive an education. In conflict-affected situations, all of this is aggravated. The Leadership Institute hopes to build the capacities of young women as change agents in peace building and social transformation. The training sets up a creative space to strengthen capacities and solidarity among young women under the theme Amplifying Women’s Leadership in Peace Processes.
The Peace Centre is aware that investing in young women’s leadership will not only change the trajectory of their future, but that of their communities as well and aims to have this institute empower young women to act as advocates for women’s rights and gender equality. The feminist leadership institute is a safe space for women to galvanize their feminism while enhancing their leadership capacities to effectively participate in peace building and conflict resolution. We build the capacity of women as change agents in peace building and post-conflict recovery through leadership training, cross-cultural exchanges, research and ‘giving back to the community’ initiatives.