admin | December 8, 2025
News Brief
In Uganda, peace is often built far from formal negotiations — in village meetings, youth conversations, and small acts of support for women facing violence. Local women are leading this work every day, preventing conflict, guiding youth, and creating safer communities. They facilitate dialogues, mentor young people, and engage local leaders, using tools from radio to social media. Their efforts have resolved hundreds of local conflicts, boosted women’s participation in peace committees, and shown that when women lead, entire communities benefit.
In rural villages, trading centres and border districts across Uganda, peace is often shaped far from formal negotiations. It grows in community meetings under mango trees, in conversations with young people searching for direction, and in small acts of support for women facing violence. Across the country, local women are doing this work every day — quietly preventing conflict, guiding youth, and helping neighbours find safety and hope.
Their leadership shows how global commitments to women, peace and security only become real when they are carried by people who understand local challenges.
One of these women is Juliet Mbambu, Executive Director of the Bwera United Women with Disabilities Association. Diagnosed with polio at age 10, She says her experiences shaped her commitment to advocate for others. She explains, “I grew up in a very difficult situation. This is why I formed a group of women with disabilities — to amplify our voice and create awareness.” After receiving conflict mediation training, she began leading dialogues in Kasese District, where insecurity and extremist recruitment threaten young people. She says, “By the end of the dialogue, the youth come out with their own action points to prevent extremism. They commit to raising awareness among their peers.”
In Kyegegwa Town Council, 26-year-old parish chief Angel Musiime is also helping change lives. She mentors youth, encourages boys to return to school, and supports women experiencing violence at home. After her peacebuilding training, she says she gained confidence and practical skills. She says, “I want to be a great woman of peace. From the skills we attained, I’ve touched people’s lives.” She often reflects on the message that pushed her through difficult moments as a young mother: “I kept hearing this voice telling me, ‘Make your mother proud.’”
Some peacebuilders must travel long distances to reach the communities they serve. In Kasese, communications officer Sharon Kabugho often rides in the back of a pickup truck to attend community dialogues. She says, “When there’s no space in the car, you just jump on the back. You have to get there.”She engages local leaders on land disputes, gender-based violence and community safety, and uses radio shows, hotlines and social media to share information. She says, “To me, peace means seeing humanity in one another. Through training, I realized that things I once accepted as normal actually violate women’s peace.”
Across Uganda, women leaders are strengthening community resilience and ensuring that peace is not just discussed — but lived. Their efforts have helped resolve hundreds of local conflicts, increased women’s participation in peace committees, and created safer spaces for women, men, and young people to resolve disputes before they escalate.
These examples show that sustainable peace begins with those who know their communities best — and that when women lead, entire communities benefit.
Photo: Sharon Kabugho, Communications Officer with the Kasese District Local Government. UN Women/Solomon Tumwesigye
This story is adapted from an article published by UN Women called “From Resolution 1325 to real change: Women in Uganda building peace from the ground up” To read the full story, go to: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2025/10/from-resolution-1325-to-real-change-women-in-uganda-building-peace-from-the-ground-up