Women for Development (WFD) is a women-led, grassroots, non-governmental organization based in Gyumri, Armenia. WFD was established in 1997 and was formed upon the vision of women shaping their future and bringing positive societal change to the communities of Armenia, particularly in the country’s most impoverished region of Shirak.

Over the past three decades, WFD has worked on peace education, conflict resolution skills, community development, and women’s rights, promoting peacebuilding in the region and minimizing socio-economic disparities between urban and rural communities. WFD joined ICAN’s She Builds Peace campaign in 2020.

In 2023, Leaders for Peace awarded the Smart Peace Prize – the Prize for Early Childhood Peace Education – to WFD, represented by its founder and president, Gohar Markosyan, in recognition of the organization’s outstanding contribution to peace education and early childhood peacebuilding initiatives.

Core Areas of Work:

  • Community development and engagement
  • Peace education
  • Peacemaking
  • Women's rights

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