First Workshop of Women’s Mentorship Programme Completed in Southern Yemen

The first workshop of the ParticiLogue Mentorship and Peer Learning Programme, supported by GIZ and implemented by elbarlament, took place last week in Aden, marking the official launch of a structured capacity-building and mentorship journey for women civil society leaders in southern Yemen.

The programme brings together 40 women from formal and informal civil society networks in Aden, Taiz, and Hadramout. It combines mentorship tandems, peer learning circles, and applied training modules designed to strengthen institutional capacity, advocacy skills, digital safety, project management, and alliance-building.

The kick-off workshop introduced participants to the programme structure and began the formation of 20 mentor–mentee tandems. Across five days, participants engaged in practical sessions on governance, advocacy and communication, and began developing initial tools such as governance outlines and draft advocacy plans.

A key feature of the programme is its focus on application rather than theory. Each module is designed to produce concrete outputs that participants can use directly within their organisations and networks. The approach responds to key gaps identified in women-led civil society networks, including weak governance structures, limited documentation capacity, fragmented collaboration, and increasing exposure to digital risks and technology-facilitated violence.

The programme also integrates peer learning circles, where mentors and mentees reflect separately on their progress, and a dedicated focus on digital safety, addressing the growing risks faced by women activists in online and offline civic spaces.

Photos from the first workshop are being shared to document the opening phase of this journey and highlight the collaborative work already underway among participants.