Work by International Alert in the Great Lakes: Why have a special strategy for women in the Great Lakes?

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Why have a special strategy for women in the Great Lakes?

We recognise that, while both men and women suffer greatly as a result of war and violence, their experiences are not the same. We believe that women’s particular experience of war and violence (for example, women are more likely to suffer sexual violence, or be widowed as a result of war) requires an approach that is responsive to their needs. This is particularly true in the Great Lakes region, where societies are still extremely traditional and patriarchal – and our focus has therefore been on the development of a programme responsive to women’s peacebuilding needs rather than one focusing on gender.

As well as being victims of war, women are often actively engaged in conflicts, developing survival strategies at the community level, reconstructing communities that have been devastated by violence, lobbying belligerents to lay down their weapons and rehabilitating combatants. We focus on the development of women’s confidence to engage in peacebuilding work per se as well as developing specific capacities and skills in order to enable them to engage effectively in seeking solutions to the violent conflict in the region.

International Alert and women in the Great Lakes

Our work with women in the Great Lakes aims to strengthen the capacities of women from different ethnic, political and social groups in the region to engage in peacebuilding at all levels – grassroots, middle-level and decision-making levels, as well as developing links between these women so they can develop a common platform for peace.

By strengthening capacities for peace we mean:

enhancing the skills of women’s organisations in conflict transformation from a gender perspective
supporting awareness-raising initiatives to enhance the peace processes
supporting and accompanying women’s peacebuilding initiatives at grassroots levels
supporting women’s engagement in national level peace processes
developing women’s research and analysis skills
organisational and institutional development of women’s organisations
networking, lobbying and advocacy
research into and documentation of women’s peacebuilding initiatives

We work with women in Burundi, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo – and are currently consulting with them to develop a regional initiative that will address the interconnected conflict issues in the region. We are also seeking funding for a new research programme on issues affecting women in the region. To find out more about our work with women in the Great Lakes, please click on the links below:

Burundi