The Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre (GPSDC), with support from the Women Aid Collective (WACOL), has trained Umuada women from Nkpor in Idemili North and Nibo in Awka South Local Government Areas of Anambra State on preventing gender-based violence (GBV) and promoting community reforms.
The two-day training, held in Awka on September 23 and 24, 2026, was organised under a project aimed at empowering Christian women and cultural leaders to prevent and respond to GBV at the grassroots.
Speaking on community leadership and institutional change, GPSDC Executive Director, Mrs. Eucharia Anekwe, urged the women to develop their leadership capacity and work collectively to tackle GBV and harmful practices.
Anekwe stressed the need for accountability, women’s participation, rotational leadership and constitutional reforms in community governance. She cited Nkpor, where Umuada reportedly advocated for a change in its leadership structure after a president had remained in office for more than 30 years.
The Coordinator, Umuada Igbo Nigeria and in Diaspora, Dr. Winnie Arinze, urged women to use their cultural influence to protect women and girls rather than shame survivors.
“Gender-based violence is not women’s issue, it is a community issue,” she said, while calling for greater involvement of men and boys in GBV prevention.
Also, a representative of the Women’s Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), Mrs. Nonye Okpeze, cautioned churches against encouraging women to remain silent in abusive relationships or treating GBV solely as a family matter.
GPSDC Programme Manager, Mrs. Ozoemena Ogochukwu, identified gender inequality, unequal power relations and harmful social norms as major drivers of GBV.
The participants were trained on advocacy, women’s rights, gender equality, accountability and strategies for engaging traditional, religious and community leaders.
The training ended with the presentation of an Umuada Advocacy and Institutional Reform Action Plan, outlining steps the women leaders would take to promote GBV prevention and positive change in their communities.
Tags: #GBV #Anambra #WomenLeadership #CommunityReform
