Peace-building: Foundation launches SHAPPE project in Abuja, selects 26 women

A non-profit organization based in Abuja, Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation (ARDF), has launched SHAPPE Project, Strengthening Her Aspirations for Peace-building and Protecting the Environment with support from Rotary Club of Ithaca, New York, through the Rotary Peace International Service Grant.

The NGO aims to advance women and youths’ participation in decision-making and leadership processes, with a total of 5000 women and youths that have been impacted in the past 5 years.

In a statement released Saturday in Abuja, the Executive Director of Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation, Ifenla Oligbinde, said Rotary International is dedicated to causes that take action on the world’s most persistent issues, build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world.

According to Oligbinde, the purpose of international service grants is to fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in communities outside the United States.

She said: “Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation will implement the SHAPPE project with support from the International Service Committee, Rotary Club of Ithaca under the leadership of Ray Brisson and Nancy Potter, Co-chairs of the committee.”

The statement explained further that the SHAPPE Project is a multifaceted community-based project that aims to train, equip and empower young women leaders on peace-building skills to protect their immediate environment.

The foundation She the project is crucial for increasing women’s participation in formal peace processes because it addresses systemic barriers and also equips women with tools needed for negotiations, peacebuilding efforts, and climate action.

“SHAPPE will empower these women leaders through advocacy, capacity-building, and strategic planning, ensuring they are well-prepared to understand the negative effect of conflict in their environment and how to leverage negotiation and peacebuilding skills to tackle these problems. Participants will also be trained to pass down the knowledge gained to younger women in their communities.

“Since we put out our call for application in January, we got an overwhelming interest from young women between the ages of 25-40 based in underserved communities in the 6 local government areas of the Federal Capital Territory. We had a tough time selecting our final applicants and now, the 26 selected fellows will go through an intensive virtual training, after which they will execute their Pass It On (PIO) Projects in their own communities.”

The statement concluded that the project will culminate in a video documentary of women in peacebuilding and climate change; a day workshop training of participants and finally, a summit that would bring peacebuilders and climate change activists and stakeholders together to discuss solutions to conflict and climate change problems, later in the year, in Abuja.