The Women for Positive Peacebuilding Initiative (WOPPI) was established in 2016 as a community-driven, women-led and peacebuilding organization in Nigeria to support inclusive and sustainable resolution of conflicts. Our approach uses traditional and conventional models to engage actors and local leaders in a context-specific and conflict-sensitive manner in recognition of the cultural and traditional norms of communities. Our work intends to reach complex and historically marginalized and/or maligned actors and communities to enhance their capacities to engage, collaborate and address challenges in a collaborative approach. WOPPI has worked to strengthen women’s active participation in inclusive peace processes, supported research across Nigeria and designed programmes that support meaningful durable transformation of conflicts.

WOPPI was initiated to respond to the systematic challenges facing Nigeria’s women and girls. Women continue to bear the brunt of violent conflicts and face some of the worst extremes of gender and domestic violence, cultural and religious discrimination, economic deprivations, and non-participation in political processes. According to the UN Women Nigeria, women make up 50% of the population but represent only 5.5% of elective positions in the country. Nigeria was ranked as the 9^th most dangerous country for women in a survey by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

WOPPI utilizes traditional and conventional models to engage women and local leaders and actors in a context-specific and conflict-sensitive manner in recognition of the cultural and traditional norms of our communities.