Empowerment For Peace is one of the five vehicles for peace building that Generations For Peace uses to transform conflict. Empowerment For Peace refers to activities that provide capacity building for youth and adults who are trapped in a conflict as a result of their lack of power, influence, or status. These programmes offer participants new skills to help them break out of a cycle of destructive conflict.

Why does GFP use Empowerment For Peace? In addition to building towards the six expressions of change, there are three important reasons for using Empowerment For Peace, to address situations where there are power imbalances among groups, to help prevent destructive situations of recurring conflict, and to provide skills that can lead to lasting and sustainable change.

To ensure that the Sochi Camp Delegates understood Empowerment For Peace, the example of an Empowerment For Peace Programme in Kaduna, Nigeria was provided. Since December 2012, monthly Empowerment For Peace sessions have been held for girls and women in Kaduna, Nigeria. The Empowerment For Peace Programme (EPP) began when GFP volunteers invited 20-30 women to attend an Empowerment For Peace session (carried out with GFP’s local partner, Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative). The women, from different communities, religions, and ethnic backgrounds, are trapped in cycles of conflict as a result of their inability to generate income independently. To overcome this issue, these women were granted income-generating skills such as liquid soap production, fish farming, knitting, or jewellery making.

The Kaduna case study showcases how Empowerment For Peace can be used to transform conflict in the participants’ communities by removing the root cause of violence.

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Our Delegates from Russia (the focus of today’s blog posts) showing us their fun side after a great day of training!

www.generationsforpeace.org