By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Sirigu (U/E), Oct 24, GNA – Ms Bridget Adongo Akansesi, the Manageress, Sirigu Women for Pottery and Art Organisation (SWOPA), has reiterated the need for women to be involved in building sustainable peace at the community level for development.
She said apart from being one of the vulnerable groups in times of instability, women were naturally peace makers and could play key roles in ensuring sustained peace in communities and prevent conflicts.
She urged major stakeholders including traditional authorities, to tap into the influence of women to resolve differences through non-violence means.
Ms Akansesi made the call at a two-day training workshop for women and men at Sirigu in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region on peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
The project dubbed, “Leveraging community connections to build sustainable peace and conflict resolution: role of Poyaasi and Isi”, was funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) and being implemented by SWOPA.
Ms Akansesi explained that women were mostly neglected in terms of decision making about peace in communities and that was worrying and needed to be addressed to ensure attainment of lasting peace for development.
She said women groups had been formed in communities in the area and in those groups women from the same community and married and resident together in different communities were put together (poyaasi) as a group.
This, she said, would enable the women to discuss issues affecting their growth and development and resolve conflicts in both their fathers and husbands’ communities for lasting peace and development.
“Women are peace makers, but circumstances sometimes lead them to do things out of ignorance, so we want to bring them together and train them to understand and appreciate how to be peace makers in their communities and let that peace continue to reign, wherever they find themselves,” she said.
She urged the women to use the knowledge acquired from the training to influence the two communities where they had roots, to ensure there was always peace.
Mr Eric Chimsi, a Senior Development Officer, Canadian High Commission to Ghana, explained that conflicts and disputes disrupted development and progress and women and children were mostly affected, however, they were always left behind in decision making process.
He said it was time for leaders to recognize the significant role women could play in ensuring peace in communities and called for stakeholders to ensure that women had enduring roles to building peace for development.
He said the project would also promote inclusive governance and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Unfortunately, peacebuilding and peace efforts are often seen as the responsibility of a small group of people. Women are particularly excluded from peace efforts, but we all know that inclusion of women in all aspects of life yields greater impact and benefits everyone.
“In fact, there is evidence that when women are included in peace efforts great results are achieved,” he added.
Ms Ayelwaa Ayaba, one of the participants, noted that the land dispute between Doba and Kandiga was affecting their lives and economic activities and appealed to stakeholders to help resolve the conflict to protect women and children.
GNA