UNDP Leads Transformational Leadership Workshop
More than twenty women from Wau and Jur River counties wrapped up a two-day course in transformational leadership and peacebuilding on Wednesday, organisers confirmed. The session, hosted by UNDP with Juba University’s Institute for Transformation Leadership, sought to equip emerging female leaders with practical tools for conflict analysis and early-warning.
Participants Craft Community Action Plans
Facilitator Lucia Bassa said the trainees designed work plans tailored to local realities, integrating prevention of gender-based abuses with advocacy strategies. By mapping hotspots and communication channels, attendees rehearsed how to alert authorities before disputes escalate, a process one participant described as “turning observation into action”.
Voices from Government, Faith and Villages
Angelina Anthony, attached to the state Ministry of Gender, noted the programme’s mentoring component would “multiply leadership” among rural girls. Reverend Laura Naro echoed her, saying she finally found the analytical language to frame mediation efforts. Farmers’ representative Randa Lawrence hopes additional days will allow deeper case studies.
Push for Broader Coverage in Western Bahr el Ghazal
Graduates pledged to relay lessons across payams and parishes, ensuring no woman is left outside the conversation. They appealed for future workshops to move beyond Wau town, citing transport hurdles that often sideline remote communities. UNDP officials signalled openness, pending logistical assessments with county authorities.
Momentum for Grassroots Peace Architecture
Western Bahr el Ghazal’s women leaders argue that durable peace requires a grassroots architecture that recognises their mediating role in households and markets. By sharpening negotiation skills now, they insist, future outbreaks of violence can be contained earlier, freeing communities to focus on farming, schooling and entrepreneurship.