Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee
Born	1 February 1972 Central Liberia
Nationality	Liberian
Occupation	Peace Activist
Known for	Leading a women's peace movement that helped end the Second Liberian Civil War
Awards	Nobel Peace Prize (2011)

Leymah Roberta Gbowee (born 1 February 1972) is a Liberian peace activist, social worker, and women's rights advocate. She is best known for leading a women's peace movement that played a pivotal role in ending the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Her efforts, along with those of her fellow activists, were instrumental in bringing about peace and stability in Liberia, and she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, alongside Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkol Karman.

Early Life and Education

Leymah Gbowee was born in Central Liberia and grew up during a time of political instability and civil unrest. She moved to the capital, Monrovia, at the age of 17, just before the outbreak of the First Liberian Civil War. The war had a profound impact on her life and future career.

Gbowee pursued her education in social work, earning a degree from the Mother Patern College of Health Sciences in Monrovia. She later obtained a Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, USA.

Activism and Peace Movement

In the early 2000s, as Liberia was engulfed in the Second Civil War, Gbowee became increasingly involved in peace activism. She was a founding member of the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, a grassroots movement that brought together Christian and Muslim women in a nonviolent protest against the war.

The movement organized daily sit-ins and peaceful demonstrations, demanding an end to the violence and the involvement of women in peace negotiations. Their efforts culminated in the Accra Peace Talks in 2003, where Gbowee and her fellow activists staged a sit-in that pressured the warring factions to reach a peace agreement.

Nobel Peace Prize

In 2011, Leymah Gbowee was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work. She shared the prize with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female president of Liberia, and Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni journalist and activist.

Later Work and Legacy

After the war, Gbowee continued her advocacy for peace and women's rights. She founded the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, which provides educational and leadership opportunities to women and youth in West Africa. She has also served as a member of various international organizations and initiatives focused on peace and security.

Gbowee's work has been widely recognized, and she has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to peace and social justice.

Also see

• Second Liberian Civil War
• Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
• Tawakkol Karman
• Nobel Peace Prize