National Association of Women Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU)

FIRE Covers Women's Peace Train Through Africa
By Margaret Thompson

Women from several African countries are escorting a Women's Peace Train on a multi-country journey from Rwanda to South Africa, demanding an end to wars and conflict in their countries, promoting the strong message that without peace, there can be no sustainable development. A peace torch is being passed by the women across every frontier, starting in Rwanda, continuing on through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and arriving in Johannesburg, South Africa in time for the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), August 27-September 4, 2002.

FIRE is presently covering the Women's Peace Train via cell phone and the Internet, with interviews with women from the various African countries, and will meet the women from the train in person in Johannesburg, South Africa, when it arrives there. FIRE will cover an afternoon presentation by participants in the Peace Train on Monday, August 26th from the Women's Tent at the WSSD in Johannesburg.

According to Sadre Twinomugisha of NAWOU (National Association of Women's Organizations in Uganda), which is serving as one of the focal points for the peace train, "We women look at it that with development when we donÕt have peace is not development at all. Because when you develop your city and your country, and in a few years war breaks out, you go back to square one. So as women we decided that what we need is peace before you get development, because if we have a peaceful world, then development will definitely come."

At http://www.fire.or.cr/agosto02/ingles/peacetrain.html, you can listen to:

Litha Musyimi-Agana of Kenya as she explains via cell phone from Kampala, Uganda, the goal of the peace train and what motivates the women to lead this peace effort. Litha is Regional Director of AC-EGA (African Center for Empowerment Gender & Advocacy) of Kenya, the main organizer of the peace train, which left Kampala on August 16th and is scheduled to arrive in Johannesburg on or about August 27th.
Sadre as she reports via cell phone on the ceremonies for the passage of the peace torch from the Rwandan women to the Ugandan women on August 16th at the train station in Kampala, Uganda.