I Am She” is a network of community-based women’s groups or “peace circles” led by Syrian women, working to reinforce effective political, economic, social, and cultural participation of women in order to realize peace, freedom, justice, representation, and transparency for all Syrians. To realize this vision, the “I Am She” network conducts myriad activities including: training, advocacy, mobilization, technical support, and awareness raising in provinces throughout Syria and within Syrian communities.
Since it was launched in 8th.March 2016, I am She Network worked supporting peace circle for empowering them to be more effective in their communities. There have been eighteen training conducted in order to build skills and capacities regarding advocacy, civil leadership and political empowerment along with continuous following-up for increasing the peace circles’ practical capacities through designing and implementing initiatives as well as leading those administratively. As a part of such following, local initiatives designed and implemented by peace circles were supported. There have been 37 local initiatives, all of which centered on including women in decision-making positions, combating gender-based violence, political, legal and community empowerment as well as other initiatives on promoting local peace and pushing the peace process forward. Those initiatives targeted over 6551 women and men.
Since it is significant to deeply learn the status of I am She Network’s peace circles throughout the last year and half in order to define the positives to be promoted and negatives to be empowered as well as obstacles to overcome them, this report was accomplished and based on methodological questionnaire. This questionnaire mainly focused on the internally organizational mechanisms for peace circles, I am She Network management’s effectiveness and impact measurement in accordance with the Network’s objectives.
This assessment was conducted with twenty four peace circles, whose dates of establishment varied between three years to two months, with eight participants in each peace circle on average. There were 149 responses on the questionnaires.
In accordance with the methodology in use, this reports contains the following:
Peace circles’ internal status.
Internal inclusion in peace circles
The main obstacles concerning peace circles’ activities
Internal relationships within I am She Network
Peace circles members’ effectiveness