How Women and Youth Are Shaping Change

Participatory Grantmaking in Nigeria’s Kaduna and Plateau States

This article was written by Dr. Rhoda Udanyi, Executive Director SUWA and Louise Allen, Peacebuilding Coordinator Tearfund Netherlands.

For many years, Kaduna and Plateau states in Nigeria have experienced considerable interreligious conflict. These conflicts are fuelled by a complex interplay of factors including ethnicity, competition for resources, political power, and historical grievances.

Although religion is frequently identified as a cause, it is deeply intertwined with broader social, political, and economic factors.

Building Peace Through Economic Empowerment

It is against this backdrop of interreligious tension that women and youth-led groups at the Tearfund SUWA JISRA project sites in Manchok (Kaura Local Government Area, Kaduna State) and Jebbu Bassa (Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State) have established Skills Acquisition Centres.

These centres aim to:

• Promote Freedom of Religion or Belief
• Enhance peaceful coexistence
• Amplify the voice of women and youth through economic empowerment

The Role of JISRA and Participatory Grantmaking

The Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA) is a programme that stimulates positive forces within and between religious communities for more peaceful and inclusive societies. It has been active in both Kaduna and Plateau States since 2020.

Dr Rhoda Udaymi, Executive Director of SUWA, explains:

“We were looking at ways to empower the local communities and at the same time ensure sustainability of the benefits from the JISRA programme where Christian and Muslim communities are pro-actively working together to ensure peaceful co-existence.”

Participatory Grantmaking (PGM) – an innovative funding approach where communities, rather than donors, decide how funds are allocated – gave people in Manchok and Jebbu Bassa the chance to determine where resources were needed most.

A Vision Born from Within the Community

In Jebbu Bassa, the initiative grew out of a Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) called KICHE FOR PEACE, established as part of the JISRA programme.

Women like Dorcas Sati Gombo took it upon themselves to mentor young people of different faiths in skills such as tailoring and hairdressing — building trust and tolerance in the process.

“Through years of training from JISRA, SUWA and Tearfund I was inspired to volunteer by teaching hair dressing to young girls from different faiths. The community embraced the initiative leading to the creation of the PGM Skills Acquisition Centre — a space empowering women and youth with practical skills while promoting interfaith peace and understanding.”
– Dorcas Sati Gombo, Jebbu Bassa

Scaling Local Initiatives for Greater Impact

In Manchok, the community identified a pressing need to engage and empower young people vulnerable to violence and women directly affected by the conflict.

Thanks to PGM funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the women and youth in Jebbu Bassa were able to scale up their initiative, while Manchok could launch their own.

The centres now provide:

• Practical skills training
• Startup support
• Opportunities for peaceful collaboration across faith lines

“The PGM centre is a perfect avenue for women and youth from diverse faiths to coexist peacefully.”
– Bakura Bernadette Julius, participant

Sustainability Through Shared Leadership

Special emphasis is placed on youth and women as vital agents of peace and economic resilience.

Each Skills Centre is managed by a community committee, which includes:

• Christian and Muslim religious leaders
• Traditional leaders
• Local stakeholders

This shared governance ensures community ownership and long-term sustainability.

A Model for Systemic Transformation

The JISRA PGM grants directly supported grassroots youth and women-led groups in addressing inter-religious dynamics — strengthening local ownership and decision-making.

A relatively small investment in Jebbu Bassa and Manchok has had significant impact by:

• Reducing tensions
• Economically empowering youth and women
• Paving the way for future collaboration

By placing the power to decide what to fund into the hands of the local community, PGM not only fosters mutual trust but also ensures that resources are directed to where they can have the greatest impact.