Religious Engagement in Nigeria Enhanced by Women (I-RENEW)

Overview

The I-RENEW project focuses on enhancing religious engagement in Nigeria by empowering women and youth to promote FoRB and peaceful coexistence in Plateau and Kaduna States. The project employs a Common Ground Approach to build capacities, foster collaboration, and reshape societal norms through media and advocacy. Key interventions include training, co-facilitated activities, and media outreach, all aimed at addressing religious intolerance, violent extremism, and promoting human rights.

Duration: 24 months (February 1, 2023, to January 2025)

Donor: European Union

Implementing Partners: Centre for Dialogue Reconciliation and Peace (DREP), Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN)

Geographic Focus: Plateau and Kaduna States (including their capitals and surrounding areas)

Overall Goal:

To support relevant institutions, religious leaders, faith-based organizations, and communities in addressing peacebuilding, human rights, violent extremism, and religious polarization, with a focus on the participation of women and youth.

Approach:

Common Ground Approach:

Engage young female religious leaders, youth activists, state-level policymakers, high-level religious leaders, journalists, and communities.

Promote trust, collaboration, and breakthroughs in advancing Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and peaceful inter- and intra-faith coexistence.

Objectives:

1. Empower women religious actors and youth activists to promote FoRB and peaceful coexistence.
2. Strengthen the capacity of women religious leaders and youth activists to play an active role in FoRB and peaceful coexistence across different beliefs.
3. Contribute to a social and policy environment supportive of broad participation in FoRB efforts.
4. Religious intolerance and divisiveness
5. Violent attacks along religious lines
6. Train women religious leaders and youth activists in advocacy and religious engagement using Search’s conflict transformation methodology.
7. Train journalists in Common Ground Journalism and conflict-sensitive reporting on religious issues.
8. Train faith leaders (both male and female) on conflict-sensitive religious messaging (both online and offline).
9. Train male faith leaders on women’s empowerment and FoRB by promoting constructive roles they can play as allies and supporters of equality and mutual respect.
10. Step-down learning sessions on the Common Ground Approach (CGA) for religious engagements.