Women-Led Non-Governmental Organizations and Peacebuilding in Rwanda

Abstract

This paper examines the dynamics of women-led non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in peacebuilding in Rwanda. Can women successfully lead peacebuilding initiatives under the post-genocide environment that currently exists in Rwanda? How do they contribute to peacebuilding in this complex and sensitive political context? These questions and their corollaries are raised every day not only in Rwanda, but also in other post-conflict environments in Africa. This paper argues that women-led organizations have been generally successful in implementing various peacebuilding initiatives that challenge traditionally held masculine beliefs about the role of women in patriarchal societies.