There is a specific kind of magic that unfolds when women gather to protect the dreams of the next generation. It is what many describe as the “Maternal Heart” — not simply the act of motherhood, but the instinct to nurture, to shield, and to lead with a love that looks far into the future.
When Advocate Geraldine Dunn (Rotary Peace Fellow (Cohort 10), Makarere University 2026) first envisioned the Kimberley Girls Leadership & Peacebuilding Workshops as part of her Rotary International Peace Fellowship Social Change Initiative, her goal was to create a reflective space for young women from Kimberley Girls’ High Schools. The intention was to move beyond the theory of constitutional values and mediation and instead explore the heart of personal agency and positive peace.
To bring this vision to life, Dunn partnered with the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG). The collaboration coincided with the organisation’s 4.26 event, a significant initiative created to unite women across the globe in the promotion of peace. What unfolded over the two days became a powerful “planting of seeds.”
With 120 learners from four schools in attendance, the workshops revealed something profound: the awakening of young girls beginning, perhaps for the first time, to believe in their own power.
Part of the programme included watching a deeply relatable video exploring how society subtly teaches girls to “shrink” — to run slower, to speak softer, to appear less confident, and to doubt their own strength. The familiar phrase “run like a girl” became a gateway into a much deeper conversation about identity and self-worth.
The atmosphere in the room shifted during discussions around the concept of the “Redo.” Learners listened as Soraya Williams, who found her voice through the Peace Lecturer Training Education (PLTE), shared her journey of reclaiming her narrative and rewriting her own story. It became more than a leadership lesson; it resonated as a moment of emotional awakening. In the eyes of many of the girls was a shared realisation that they did not have to accept the “noise” of the world as truth.
Among the most impactful moments of the workshops were the “Three Laws of Inner Peace” — practical principles intended to help young women navigate challenges within their communities and personal lives:
- The Law of the Filter: Not every voice deserves a seat at the table.
- The Law of the Pause: The sacred practice of creating space between challenge and reaction, allowing room for self-regulation.
- The Law of Boundaries: The courage to protect one’s future self.
For Dunn, the IWPG 4.26 International Peace Day introduced a mission she had not previously encountered. Through the collaboration, she witnessed firsthand the organisation’s commitment to spreading seeds of peace among young women and future leaders.
The workshops ultimately encouraged the learners to understand that saying “no” to the pressures of today is a gift to the women they are becoming tomorrow. In many ways, this became the ultimate act of prevention — stopping the fires of conflict before they ever have the opportunity to ignite.
Leadership, the workshops demonstrated, is about planting a tree today so that someone else may sit in its shade years from now. Over the course of the initiative, young girls began embracing the idea that their peace is their power and their perseverance is their strength.
Dunn expressed gratitude to IWPG for partnering in the initiative and for contributing principles of peace to the lives of these future leaders. The experience, she reflected, was not simply about teaching peace, but about becoming it. And already, the seeds planted are beginning to bloom.