For five powerful days, women from 23 communities across Enugu State gathered with one shared goal – to rise, lead, and transform their communities.
Under the Community Partnership for the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence (ComPEG) Project, supported by the Ford Foundation, South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) held the Women’s Agency Building Training. to rekindle courage, strengthen networks, and equip women with practical tools for leadership and advocacy.
Rising Against Harmful Practices
The training was born out of deep listening. Before it began, SSDO carried out a baseline assessment to understand the realities women face daily.
The findings were stark! Harmful practices like widowhood rites, wife battery, child marriage, and denial of inheritance rights persist across communities. Yet, amid these challenges, the team found something equally powerful: women’s courage.
As Dr. Stanley Ilechukwu, SSDO’s Executive Director, explained during the opening session:
“We saw women already holding families together, already speaking out in small ways, already protecting others. What was missing was stronger agency, stronger networks, and stronger skills to lead change.
And that is exactly what the five-day training set out to build.
Each day unfolded with purpose and passion
On Day 1, women explored their realities, learned about leadership from within, and discovered how collective action can drive social change.
Day 2 deepened their knowledge of women’s rights and protective laws, including the VAPP Law, and gave them hands-on experience drafting community bylaws to challenge harmful norms.
By Day 3, participants learned how to support survivors, link them to help, and use creative storytelling to shift mindsets, culminating in a drama session that filled the room with laughter, emotion, and insight.
Day 4 focused on building economic power for social power, sustaining wellbeing, and using evidence to measure progress.
Finally, on Day 5, the women explored coalition-building, community action planning, and the Sister Guardian Initiative (their own framework for local advocacy and accountability).
Every session ended with renewed determination and applause that echoed with promise.
From Knowledge to Action
Though each woman proudly received a certificate at the end, it was nit just about certificates. It was about confidence, agency, and transformation. The pre- and post-test assessments confirmed that women were thinking differently, speaking boldly, and ready to act.
SSDO’s approach to empowerment is deliberate and sustainable – helping women challenge harmful practices one step at a time, turning small wins into lasting change.
The Ripple Effect Begins
The women left not as participants, but as community changemakers, ready to engage traditional leaders, advocate for survivors, and train others in their rights.
The seeds planted during thefive days will grow far beyond the training hall, shaping homes, markets, churches, and local decision-making spaces.
Because when women rise, communities rise.
