Who is Leymah

Leymah Roberta Gbowee was born on February 1, 1972, in Monrovia, Liberia.  She was seventeen years old when the Liberian civil war started and turned her, in her own words, “from a child into an adult in a matter of hours.” Inspired by a dream and as a person of faith, she organized her fellow Christian women to mobilize for peace. She then collaborated with a Muslim partner to build an unprecedented coalition with Muslim women, giving rise to the interfaith movement known as the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace (which operated under the auspices of WIPNET).

Why Peace

While the conflict raged in her home country, Leymah became a young mother and eventually trained as a social worker and trauma counsellor, working with ex-child soldiers. She came to believe in women's responsibility to the next generation to work proactively to restore peace. 

In 2011, while still serving as the executive director of WIPSEN-A, Leymah won the Nobel Peace Prize for her leadership of the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace; bringing together Christian and Muslim women in a nonviolent movement that played a pivotal role in ending Liberia's civil war in 2003 – chronicled in the memoir; “Mighty Be Our Powers”, and in the award-winning documentary, “Pray the Devil Back to Hell”.

The Birth of Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa

After winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Leymah established the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, which seeks to raise the next generation of peacebuilders and democratic leaders for Liberia and West Africa.

Leymah also serves as the Executive Director of the Women, Peace and Security Program at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. She advises numerous organizations working for peace, women's rights, youth, and sustainable development, and she travels internationally to advocate for human rights and peace and security.