AGRO-ECOLOGY - PELUM rolls mentorship programme to empower women for rural resilience
A transformative project is set to empower 500 women and male allies across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi through mentorship, learning exchanges, policy discussions, and webinars among others.
BLANTYRE, Malawi (Planet Defence) - PELUM Malawi, in collaboration with GIZ, has rolled out a new mentorship initiative titled Women Empowerment for Rural Resilience (WE4R), aiming to build the capacity of women across Africa to drive societal and environmental change.
The programme targets women across three tiers: rural women cultivating change, professional women leaders, and young women in agroecology.
At the grassroots level, the initiative will work with rural women already involved in socio-economic networks and social movements. These women are recognized as key players in fostering community transformation.
Professional women leaders form the second tier of the programme. They will mentor others, lead policy discussions, and contribute to the sustainability of the initiative by sharing their expertise and ensuring its impact extends beyond the project’s lifecycle.
The third group focuses on young women engaged in agroecology. These youth will be trained as change agents, advocating for policies and driving food system transformations in rural communities.
“The goal of this programme is to enhance the capacity of women change agents and their male allies, empowering them to amplify women’s rights, improve access to resources, and strengthen representation in land management and rural livelihoods,” said Nozgenji Bilima, Country Coordinator for Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM Malawi).
The programme will run alongside the African Women Leaders in Agroecology (AWOLA) initiative, another mentorship effort that shares similar objectives.
PELUM Malawi’s interventions focus on supporting local and indigenous food systems through seed and food festivals, promoting sustainable pest management practices, improving soil health, and advancing environmental protection.
The WE4R programme aims to empower 500 women and selected male allies through targeted interventions, with a focus on mentorship and capacity-building activities. Of the total participants, 300 individuals will be directly involved in the mentorship program, comprising 250 mentees and 50 mentors. These participants will also engage in learning exchanges, policy discussions, networking events, and webinars. Additionally, 200 women and male allies will participate in webinars and other virtual engagements.
Under the mentorship program, the 250 women mentees will receive guidance from 50 women mentors across four countries. The distribution is as follows:
Kenya: 90 women mentees and 18 mentors
Tanzania: 70 women mentees and 14 mentors
Uganda: 60 women mentees and 12 mentors
Malawi: 30 women mentees and 6 mentor
This initiative is designed to strengthen women's capacity, foster leadership, and promote knowledge-sharing to advance women’s rights, access to resources, and resilience in rural livelihoods across the participating countries.
With this initiative, PELUM Malawi underscores its commitment to strengthening women’s voices and promoting sustainable, inclusive development in Africa’s rural areas.