Andean Women of Faith NetworkAbout the Network
Peru’s brutal war against Maoist rebels during the 1980s and 1990s claimed as many as 69,000 lives and left a profoundly wounded society. Since then, the two guerrilla forces, Shining Path and Tupac Amaru, have been virtually eradicated, but violence and gang warfare continue to plague Peru’s people. In this environment, Peru’s women religious leaders requested the intervention of Religions for Peace to convene 21 women leaders and representatives from Catholic, Anglican, Jewish, Islamic and Indigenous communities – from Peru, Argentina, Honduras, Ecuador, Chile, El Salvador, and Costa Rica gathered in Peru to participate in the inaugural meeting and plan collaborative action for peace.
During this consultation in Lima, Peru, on 24-25 August 2003, Religions for Peace Women’s Program launched the second sub-network of Latin American and Caribbean women of faith Network. The gathering was unique in its kind in that it was the first time the Women’s Program organized an event on the South American continent. It was jointly agreed that it is high time for women to come out of their homes and become actively involved in decision-making processes. With more education and training, women will be better equipped to create awareness and use religious institutions to disseminate information and perpetuate against violence.
Andean Women of Faith Network
