Giving back to the community
In Gitega, Burundi, Capitoline Ndakoraniwe, 55, a woman mediator found a future ending disputes and resolving conflict. Through the women mediators project initiated in 2015, women like Capitoline have given back to the community and paved a way for them to participate in peacebuilding.
Capitoline now has a shop and has given this testimony encouraging women to change their economic position – and in so doing, their livelihoods.
The project was initiated by UN Women with the Peacebuilding Fund to serve as a women’s situation room. Community members, including politicians and youth, were able to engage from opposite sides, and women sat together and began to think about the root causes of the tensions including poverty.
The project was updated accordingly and, thanks to the Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund, women have been trained work in and learn how to save money and apply for and handle credit and perform successful income-generating activities.
“We all lost so much in the crisis… I started this work because I wanted my children to live a better life, to overcome my own pain, and be useful for my community.
“I have been engaging women in peacebuilding since the 1990s. We started with just two women, including myself, training other women in peacebuilding, after the crisis of 1993.
“Peace is for everyone. It is up to everyone to build peace. During crisis, different political powers struggle for power, while others are looking for food and water. We all have different needs and interests.
“When we start engaging women in conflict transformation, we start by asking them to analyse the problem, understand the root cause, so that they can see beyond the manifestation of the problem. Whether it is political violence or domestic violence, we teach them to ask, why is this happening?
“Right now, in Burundi, I see injustice, impunity and poverty. As a woman, the hardest thing for me is to face other women who have been victims of violence, who have lost their children. Sometimes, I feel powerless. But when I work with other women, for our lives and for peace, I feel powerful [again].
“The international community must keep its focus on Burundi. The UN resolutions must be implemented. Burundians are suffering – in Congo, in Tanzania and elsewhere – they need to be able to come home and be part of an inclusive dialogue.
“What keeps me going? My children need to live. Women need to live a life without violence. We want to work, go home and dream.”
“We are a group of women mediators founded in 2015. As the conflicts were increasing in the community, we strategized to work with women leaders to contribute to peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
“When we work with the administration, it is most likely that our recommendations will be implemented. We do deal with all kinds of conflict, but mostly those related to gender-based violence. We accompany and assist victims to the courts to ensure they are not shy and can express themselves in front of judges.
“We also deal with family affairs and rape; we see inheritance conflict, especially when women are claiming to have the same rights as men.
“Sometimes, for hard cases, we ask for lawyers to represent them for free. We make sure the women can express freely how they feel and build their confidence.
“We have 21 women mediators in the entire province, 5 mediators per commune. I am the focal point and coordinate with them. “We are happy and proud of our contribution, we feel confident and valued because the administration now asks us for our opinion. The community comes to us when they have problems.
“We are proud to involve young ladies. It is a strategy to train these women in conflict resolution. They are the next generation. The network must be sustainable. Young women must know their rights and what they can do for a peaceful province, and they should be involved at all levels.
“Violence against women and girls is higher, because women are so poor and under men they don’t have rights. That’s why we are doing conflict resolution, so that women can feel like they have rights and can claim those rights in the family and in the community. We try to enhance the economic power of women and train them to go into associations, how to save and how to use the money for credit.”
“I feel proud of the work we’re doing for my community and the whole country. We are now empowered thanks to UN Women, the Peacebuilding Fund and the Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund.”