Margaret Njuguna

„I cannot thank the Academy enough for training me and others; for equipping me with knowledge and skills to better myself and my communities“, says Margaret Njuguna, almost eight years after attending the Academy for Conflict Transformation's course in peace and conflict work in 2016.

"The content, the group dynamics, the insight into deeper issues and, above all, the coaching make for a well-rounded and holistic training programme. All of this results in a great mix of learning content and supports the participants."

Margaret Njuguna Participant in the full-time course in peace and conflict work, 2016

After studying Sociology (BA) and International Studies (MA), Margaret worked for the organisation Peace and Network Development Kenya, a partner organisation of GIZ. It was there that she heard about forumZFD's training programme, for which she applied and eventually came to Germany for three months.

As well as the content and group dynamics of the course, Margaret says she particularly enjoyed the coaching offered: „It was amazing how the coach visualised my all-over thoughts into some concrete information. The next few sessions, spread out over my time in Germany, helped to shape my immediate and long term goals as a professional in the field.“

The Academy's further training helped Margaret in particular to broaden her knowledge of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. „I had some training in peacebuilding and conflict transformation processes from university and from my work experience, but this training introduced me to a higher level of a wealth of tools and facilitation skills for different processes in development work, including peacebuilding and conflict transformation. I have become sharper and more versatile“, says Margaret.

Today, she works as an advisor for crisis, conflict and disaster situations at GIZ's Civil Peace Service in Kenya. „Since 2018, I have been working as a peacebuilding advisor at GIZ-CPS and have grown by leaps and bounds. I am an expert in my work and often called upon by our partners for context assessment, conflict analysis, stakeholder mapping, training organisations and communities on peacebuilding and conflict transformation and other topics“, she reports. „Thanks to the all-round training and coaching services I received from the Academy in 2016 and the growth I’ve experienced so far at GIZ-CPS, I’m now (in 2024) moving on to a regional position in Sub-Sahara Africa, where my skills are also in demand.“