Buea: SW/NW women’s taskforce launches peacebuilding ‘Bible’.

Key stakeholders in a group picture after the launch of the book

Cameroonian women under the banner of the South West/North West Women’s Taskforce, SNWOT, have launched a document that lays out strategies on how women at both urban and rural environments can lead peacebuilding initiatives in their communities.



The General Coordinator of SNWOT, Sarah-Derval Ephosi Lifanda, launched the book titled ‘SNWOT Women’s peacebuilding Manual’ in Buea on Friday, January 10, 2025.

The book consists of 76 pages, subdivided into 9 chapters, expressing the determination of members of SNWOT to work for and achieve sustainable peace in the two restive regions. 

It arms it members and other stakeholders with the skills, training and tools to enhance responsibilities, methods and tools for organising mediation sessions, dialogues, and negotiation and reconciliation efforts in their communities.

Addressing stakeholders during the launching ceremony, Sarah-Derval Ephosi Lifanda, said the masterpiece was the result of four years of dedicated work by women who came together to share their experiences because they have experienced a lot in the course of the Anglophone crisis and wanted to document and share their experiences with other women. 

She added that their experiences as women during the crisis made them embark on a mission to empower more women because every woman is a peacebuilder and mediator because they manage their homes which knowledge means they can resolve conflicts with ease.

General Coordinator of SNWOT launching the peacebuilding manual

General 

 

“…we documented our experiences and challenges so that other women should not think they are different, but understand that we face the same challenges such as marginalisation and discrimination as women whether in the urban or rural areas,” she said. 

In this light, she called on members of SNWOT and other allied groups to embrace the book and use it as a reference document in peacebuilding in their homes, communities and country as a whole.

“…with this document women will be able to abreast themselves of some of the laws protecting women, ensuring they are vital parts in decision making. Every woman should know that they are a piece in the peace puzzle, because we are not in competition with each other but to complimenting ourselves,” he said. 

The book lays out strategies on how women in different communities can use creative arts, theatre for peace, cook-out-sessions, hair plaiting sessions, community clean-up campaigns, sports, community peace clubs, farms sessions, peace talks and community dialogue sessions to build peace. 

It outlines steps on planning and executing all these strategies to fit the needs of the different communities that aim to use the book.

On her part, Esther Omam, the vision bearer of SNWOT, said the book was a crowning achievement of the taskforce since its creation. 

She elaborated the contributions of the group towards peace building in the two restive regions that has culminated with the gradual resumption of school in most part of the two regions.

The gradual return to school and other initiatives from the government to resolve the crisis and finally the book demonstrates how far the group has gone. 

However, she said a lot was still left to be done, while congratulating the team for developing such a vital tool in peacebuilding she called on women to prioritise personal peace.

Speaking to the press, the General Coordinator of SNWOT said that when women are at peace with themselves, she said the peace would be able to spread to their families, communities and the whole country at the end of the day. 

“Women are the vessels needed to bring peace to our country, but this peace must start from our homes, community and progressively extend to the country,” Ephosi Lifanda said. 

She added that the book was a vital tool for not only women, but also everyone interested in peacebuilding. 

“This book is a peace-building guide that every woman should have because it is very practical with steps on how to do mediation, community dialogue and empower women”.

She further added that the book was made in a simplified manner to ensure that women in every community can co-opt it and contextualise it to their environment.

 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3337 of Monday January 13, 2025

 

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