Leymah Roberta Gbowee mobilized the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace to force an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Her leadership helped create the conditions for the 2005 national elections. This work established a foundation for women to participate in formal peace-building processes, for which she earned the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
Early Involvement in Peacebuilding
Born in Monrovia in 1972, Gbowee spent her teenage years in the city before the 1989 outbreak of the First Liberian Civil War. Following the conflict, she completed training to become a social worker focusing on trauma. In 1998, she began volunteering at the Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Program, operated through St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Monrovia. She earned an Associate of Arts degree in social work from the Mother Patern College of Health Sciences in 2001, where she applied reconciliation techniques to rehabilitate former child soldiers.
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Gbowee expanded her expertise through a Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation at Eastern Mennonite University, graduating in 2007. She co-founded the Women in Peacebuilding Program under the West African Network for Peacebuilding. Her career includes roles as the executive director of the Women Peace and Security Network Africa and serving as a commissioner-designate for the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She has also served as a Distinguished Fellow in Social Justice at Barnard College of Columbia University.
Philanthropy and Global Engagement
In 2012, she founded the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa in Monrovia to support leadership and educational development for Liberian youth. Her international work includes serving on the High-Level Task Force for the International Conference on Population and Development from 2012 to 2014 and acting as an Oxfam Global Ambassador. She advocates for human rights and conflict resolution through public speaking engagements and her role as a contributor at The Daily Beast.
Fast facts
- Born: 1972, Monrovia, Liberia
- Education: Eastern Mennonite University
- Primary Field: Civil Rights
- Notable Work: Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace
- Nobel Peace Prize: 2011
- Gruber Prize for Women's Rights: 2009
- Bonn International Democracy Prize: 2018
- Religion: Lutheranism
Questions readers ask
What was the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace?
It was a non-violent movement led by Gbowee that successfully pressured stakeholders to end the Second Liberian Civil War.
Did Gbowee participate in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?
Yes, she served as a commissioner-designate for the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Achievements
- Nobel Peace Prize — 2011
- Gruber Prize for Women's Rights — 2009
- Bonn International Democracy Prize — 2018
- Educated at Eastern Mennonite University
