As ACCORD embarks on its second year of its capacity strengthening initiative for women-led NGOs and CBOs in South Africa, the focus will shift from being theoretical to practical. In so doing, the local peacebuilders will undergo mentorship and training sessions designed to enhance their leadership, accountability, and good governance skills in order to better support the organisations they represent.
The 2022 programme kicked off with the first two sessions exploring organisational analysis and conflict resolution. Participants explored organisational theory, which was defined in the session as the process of reviewing the development, work environment, personnel, and the operation of a business. From this definition, the women leaders were able to reflect on their own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT Analysis), as well as that of their respective organisations. Participants went on to reflect and share the various challenges experienced with organisational culture and values. The women peacebuilders agreed that poor leadership is the most common challenge they have encountered, citing respect, knowledge, and experience as key factors that contribute to strong leadership. One of the participants shared that “If leadership is weak, inconsistent, or disreputable, it can contribute to organisational culture problems”. To that end, the two-day session concluded with participants understanding the usefulness of applying the SWOT Analysis in Conflict Resolution.
ACCORD looks forward to the next session in which participants will share how they have applied the SWOT Analysis in resolving conflict in their organisations.
