Women empowerment key in achieving sustainable peace, economic emancipation
The Malawi Chapter of the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise Malawi) and Sustainable Fashion and Women Empowerment (SFWE) Initiative have highlighted women’s economic empowerment as key in advancing meaningful peace and sustainable socio-economic transformation.
The two organizations made these sentiments on Saturday during an interaction with 25 girls and young women who are pursuing a free tailoring course at SFWE Initiative.
Launched in 2023, FemWise Malawi empowers Malawian women to lead in community-level mediation, conflict prevention, and peace-building, ensuring their participation in decision-making.
On the other hand, SFWE is a youth-led initiative transforming the lives of adolescent girls and young women through sustainable fashion, skills development, and economic empowerment. Founded in 2022 as a community project under the She Is Empowered Fellowship by Africa Matters Initiative, SFWE equips marginalized women with practical tailoring, upscaling, and entrepreneurship skills while promoting environmental responsibility.
FemWise Malawi and SFWE are working tirelessly to empower women in Malawi through peace-building and sustainable fashion initiatives.
FemWise Malawi executive member, Drina Mphote, explained that their organization is built on the principles of UN Resolution 1325, which encourages women’s participation in peace processes.
“We empower women at the grassroots to do peace-building work, giving them skills to help their communities resolve conflicts,” said Mphote.
With contributions from individual members, FemWise Malawi and SFWE are currently training 25 women from Area 49 in peace-building and conflict resolution, with the goal of achieving sustainable peace in Malawi.
“If women participate in conflict resolution, agreements are sustainable and durable,” Mphote added.
Meanwhile, SFWE, founded in 2022, aims to empower women socially and economically through sustainable fashion.
“We train women in tailoring and design, enabling them to produce income for themselves,” SFWE Initiative Communications Lead, Karen Kawamba, explained.
Kawamba added that her organization has trained over 100 women through its program and plans to continue empowering women to become independent and leaders in their communities.
“We envision a future where women contribute to income in families and make informed decisions,” she said.
Currently, the two organizations do not have donors and are relying on contributions to execute their activities.
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