First module of Women Peace Leadership Programme

Women’s voices are rarely heard in post conflict reconstructions; nor are their contributions acknowledged.

This is more so the case in the conflict prone clusters of Somalia and Karamoja (the border region of Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia). This realization formed the breeding ground for the Women Peace Leadership Programme (WPLP), a joint effort between COPA and Pact Inc with the financial support of USAID.

Part of the invisibility of females has been attributed to the fact that women who operate in conflict areas lack the confidence to articulate not only issues affecting them but also their contributions in building sustainable peace in these areas. In response, the WPLP project has elements of trainings, mentorship and field visits all aimed at invigorating women into reaffirming their commitment to continue investing their efforts into activities that will result in lasting peace in their areas. By building the capacity of selected women in leadership skills, the project further hopes to expand the knowledge of women on various instruments that have been developed to enhance their contribution in post conflict reconstruction. This includes the provisions of UN resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.


Ultimately the WPLP project will produce a group of women capable of contributing strategically to existing peace initiatives in a way that can bring change in the region. The project is bringing together 25 women from Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda (5 from each country) in the course of one year. There will be three weeks of specific trainings and exchange visits spread across the year and the region, giving the women involved a well-deserved exposure and exchange platform.

The Women in Peace Leadership training(WPLP) was programmed to take place in a session of three modules.

The first training and field visit took place in Kampala, Uganda, from 17 to 21 August 2009.



The Women Peace Leadership Programme (WPLP) is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of COPA and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government or Pact Inc or Pact Kenya.