DefendDefenders and Civil Rights Defenders train Women Human Rights defenders

Imagine the impact of ten female environmental human rights advocates gathering for a week. Civic Rights Defenders (CRD) with support from Defend Defenders (DD), supported by CHARM Africa, collaborated to provide a physical and psychosocial security Training of Trainers program to these Women Environmental Human Rights Defenders (WEHRDs).

The participants, drawn from East Africa, exchanged stories, explored potential collaborations, anddelved into deep conversations about the emotional challenges faced by women leading environmental protection in their communities.

The training aimed to enhance the skills of WEHRDs in physical security focusing on identifying risks faced by WEHRDs in the region, how to instrumentalize threat analysis techniques and mapping out existing support systems. The psychosocial element of the training equipped participants with tools for self-care and how to protect themselves in their work. They had sessions with a resident counsellor, who worked with them on issues around self-care and protecting themselves emotionally in their various spaces.

The training also provided networking opportunities for the participants who went from being total strangers to feeling like close colleagues after only 5 days of training.