With Aim of bringing more women and vulnerable groups into decision making and peace building process, the Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation has hosted stakeholders Summit on peace building and Environmental protection.
The Executive Director,Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation. Barr. Ifenla Oligbinde said the inclusiveness of women in peace building cannot be over emphasized because it always bring positive results in any conflict resolutions and calls for full inclusion of women and vulnerable people in order to achieve the desired peace we need as country.
Barr Ifenla stated this at the weekend during stakeholders Summit in Abuja.
” With the theme: Women, Peace and the Planet: Advancing Sustainable Communities Together.
” It might be recalled that earlier this year, we launched the SHAPPE Project, “Strengthening Her Aspirations for Peace-building and Protecting the Environment” with support from the Rotary Club of Ithaca, New York, through the Rotary Peace International Service Grant.
The initiative is a multifaceted community-based project that aims to train, equip and empower young women leaders on peace-building skills, to protect their immediate environment. The SHAPPE fellowship focused on building leadership, community mobilization, digital skills, advocacy, especially in conflict-prone areas and positioning women in peacebuilding and climate action.
In the last 7 months, we have trained 23 young women between ages 25–35 in all 6 local government areas of the FCT with skills in peacebuilding and environmental sustainability. Within this period, all our fellows stepped down knowledge in their rural communities through sensitisation activities, capacity building training and stakeholders engagement.
The SHAPPE Project is culminating in a Stakeholders’ Summit that would highlight the impact of the community-based projects led by the Fellows in their environment; create a platform for key discussions around the role of women in peace and environmental leadership and encourage collaboration and commitment toward expanding the fellowship to more regions in the North Central.
One of the added deliverables of our project is that our team members: worked with someIfenla Oligbinde,
Executive Director,
Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation of the fellows in the last two months to develop a research document. This document evaluates the link between climate change and conflict, with focus on the Benue killings as a case study.
Their finding will be presented at the summit, and we hope stakeholders will take a nudge forward with our recommendations. Our project has also produced a video documentary which spotlights women in peacebuilding and climate action, which would be made public at the end of the summit.
We therefore call on all critical stakeholders in peacebuilding and environmental protection to ensure all hands are on deck to ensure women are empowered for peacebuilding and climate change processes. Women are primary agents of change because they feel first-hand experience of the adverse effect of conflict, war and climate challenges. When they are given adequate resources and empowerment, they will protect their family, immediate environment and the world at large According the executive director.
President Elect, Rotary Club of Asokoro, Dr Ignatius Emeka Onyekwere, acknowledge the power of women in uniting the Society, thanks the Orgàniser of Shappe Project for bringing the issue that is affecting the women and the environment into the front burner which is so apt at this time, I call on fellow women to love and support themselves in the political space for those wanting to venture into politics as elections draws near.
The guest Speaker and Chief Executive Officer, “Close the Gap”, Comrade Wale Ajani while asking for support for women in politics call on the National Assembly to expedite actions toward laws that will guranteed special Representative seats for women and affirms his orgànisation support for such initiative, infact women contribute immensely for the betterment of our Society. Ajani said.
