WLP training workshops across the Partnership and beyond.
Last month, Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) hosted its first-ever alumni gathering — a vibrant, intergenerational virtual event that brought together leaders, activists, educators, and changemakers from 20 countries around the world. These alumni had participated in one of WLP’s Training of Trainers (TOT) programs, which equip feminist leaders with tools to advance gender equality through a flexible, participatory approach tailored to local and global challenges. The joyful tribute honored the remarkable accomplishments of our alumni, many of whom now serve as community leaders, public servants, and human rights advocates.
This historic celebration marked a powerful milestone in a journey that began 25 years ago when five visionary organizations from the Global South came together with a bold mission: to advance women’s rights through global solidarity. Today, that vision has grown into a dynamic partnership of women’s rights organizations working across 80 countries. Together, we have created transformative learning programs, empowered thousands of women and girls to lead change in their communities, and championed legal and policy reforms for a more just and equal world.
Throughout the Alumni Celebration, a powerful emotional landscape emerged, filled with “transformation,” “empowerment,” “hope,” and “solidarity.” During the event, Myra Imran of Pakistan, Comfort Attah of Nigeria, Perihan Uluğ of Turkey, and Asmae Aboulfaraj of Morocco shared stories of personal transformation and community impact that continue to shape a more just world.
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Myra Imran with fellow attendees at a WLP Training of Trainers workshop.
Championing Women’s Voices in Pakistan: Myra Imran’s Empowerment Journey
Myra Imran, a journalist and human rights advocate from Pakistan, described how participating in WLP’s TOT programs, facilitated by WLP Pakistan/Aurat Foundation, transformed her vision of leadership and shifted how she approached systemic challenges faced by women journalists.
Her first Global TOT Institute training left a deep impression. The warmth of the welcome and the emotionally resonant exercises fostered a sense of global sisterhood and clarity about the strength needed to challenge injustice. The workshops illuminated the shared struggles women face globally and that real change demands courage, integrity, and collective resilience.
These lessons became crucial as Myra faced intense opposition after launching the Women Journalists’ Association of Pakistan. Drawing on WLP’s training, she found the confidence and resolve to continue her work, eventually relaunching the organization with renewed determination. Her perseverance led to the publication of a groundbreaking gender audit of newsrooms and she was invited to share her insights on the international stage.
Through WLP, Myra embraced a vision of leadership rooted in empathy, collaboration, and principled action. She found not only new tools for her advocacy but also a lasting network of sisterhood.
"All the women leaders were experiencing, resisting, and learning from each other…We will not accept a world that sidelines us because we are here to redefine the world." –Myra Imran
Comfort Attah participating in a WLP Training of Trainers workshop.
From One Voice to a Movement: Comfort’s Story from Nigeria
Comfort Attah, founder of the Attah Sisters Helping Hand Foundation (ASHH), shared how WLP’s leadership training, facilitated by WLP Nigeria/CEADER, sparked a journey from local mentorship to national advocacy. A pivotal moment came in late 2018 when she attended a WLP TOT in Nigeria. The participatory, dialogue-based approach boosted her confidence and inspired her to replicate inclusive leadership training in her own community.
She began by mentoring adolescent girls in Borno State through the "Ignite Her Potential" program, equipping them with leadership, entrepreneurial, and digital skills. She relied on WLP resources like Leading to Choices and Leading to Compassion to train women in leadership and political participation. Comfort’s work soon expanded into peacebuilding initiatives, training thousands of teachers and students and establishing peace clubs in schools.
Perhaps one of ASHH’s most groundbreaking achievements to date is the successful passage of Nigeria’s first state-level Pad Bank Bill, which ensures women and girls have access to menstrual products.
Comfort’s story illustrates how WLP trainings fuel leadership that drive systemic, generational change.
"I didn’t know I had the power to do so many things as a young lady then. I didn’t know I could be the leader, and I want to be that. I dream to be that." –Comfort Attah
A group photograph taken at a WLP Turkey/KEDV's Training of Trainers workshop.
Building Resilient Communities in Turkey: Perihan’s Lifelong Commitment
Perihan Uluğ of WLP Turkey/KEDV has led grassroots empowerment work in Turkey for over 25 years. Since 2001, she has helped adapt WLP’s leadership curriculum to reach more than 7,000 women, including refugees, agricultural workers, and textile workers. As a facilitator, Perihan guides women to develop their own solutions through participatory processes that integrate economic, social, and political empowerment.
These trainings led to the formation of several women’s cooperatives that advocate for community needs and have provided crucial space for organizing and leadership, especially during crises such as earthquakes, conflicts, and pandemics. Following the devastating February 2023 earthquake, women trained through KEDV organized within temporary shelters to create safer environments, communication networks, and pathways for recovery.
Perihan emphasized that marginalized women are not passive victims but powerful agents of change, and that nurturing their leadership is essential in creating a just society. As a powerful example, some Syrian refugee women trained through KEDV are now preparing to return home, aiming to rebuild democratic and peaceful communities back in Syria. What began as local empowerment for Perihan has become a transnational movement for resilience and justice.
"By having these trainings...[grassroot women] have sat around the table and said "do not speak on behalf of us. We are experiencing these problems. We know the solutions to our problems, and we would like to be a part of these solutions." –Perihan Uluğ
Asmae Aboulfaraj speaking at a WLP Morocco/ADFM Training of Trainers workshop.
Redefining Leadership in Morocco: Asmae’s Call to Action
Asmae Aboulfaraj, now a Regional Director for WLP, began her journey as a volunteer with WLP Morocco/ADFM. From the beginning, WLP profoundly reshaped her understanding of leadership. When she attended her first leadership workshop in 2020, Asmae expected abstract theory. Instead, she was challenged to reflect deeply on what leadership truly looked like in her own life.
That formative experience shifted her perspective from seeing leadership as hierarchical and individualistic to recognizing it as a collective, empathetic practice rooted in community, trust, and shared responsibility. WLP’s approach invited her to connect leadership to her relationships, her work, and her sense of self. Rather than positioning leadership as something distant or reserved for others, she came to see it as a lived, daily practice.
Through the WLP workshop, Asmae learned how to facilitate space for growth, self-reflection, and unlearning, eventually co-leading workshops and mentoring others on their own leadership journeys. Her personal transformation now shapes how she mentors others, nurturing the same growth that once shaped her.
"That's what it means to be part of this program. It means that we are here to grow, to empower each other, and it's about the incredible journey from learning to leading." –Asmae Aboulfaraj
A Shared Legacy, A Shared Future
This year’s inaugural celebration also marked the official launch of WLP’s Alumni Network, a new initiative designed to strengthen ties between former training participants and the Partnership. The network will facilitate knowledge exchange, support ongoing communication, and amplify grassroots voices through a dedicated online community, advocacy opportunities, capacity-building webinars and discussion spaces.
What emerged from this celebration was a clear reminder that leadership is not imposed but nurtured. It grows through shared learnings, nurturing mentorship, and unwavering solidarity. And it multiplies.
Our alumni are not only carrying forward WLP’s legacy, they are using it to shape more equitable, inclusive, and just futures. From transforming classrooms to passing legislation, from grassroots organizing to community disaster resilience, the ripple effects are profound and ongoing.
As we close the chapter on our first alumni gathering, we do so with deep gratitude for our partners, our trainers, and especially our alumni, whose stories continue to inspire and ignite change.
To everyone who joined us: thank you for making our first alumni celebration unforgettable. Here’s to the next 25 years and beyond!