It has been announced that more than ten women who work for Christian Aid partners have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, an award usually dominated by men.

One thousand women in total were selected by Swiss organisation Swisspeace, from thousands of nominations in recognition of their work in pursuit of lasting peace.

Christian Aid praised the nominees, calling them “an inspiration to Christian Aid’s programmes in these countries as they work tirelessly to bring an end to the suffering felt by people who have been affected by some of the worst conflicts of our time.”

The women work for Christian Aid’s partner organisations in Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, India, Malawi, Uganda, Burma and Bangladesh.

Ginny Shrivathava of ASTHA, an Indian organisation that helps tribal women who have been marginalised by their communities to speak out about the issues that affect them, expressed her joy at being nominated for the award.

She said the award was significant because it recognises that peace means ‘so much more than just an absence of war’.

Christian Aid said: “If these women are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize they will receive it in the name of the millions of women who work to secure peace around the world.”

The nominees include Rosalba Oywa, founder of the Peoples Voice for Peace (PVP) in Uganda, an organisation which works with the injured and traumatised victims of the 19-year-long bloody conflict between Ugandan government forces and the Lord’s Resistance Army. The PVP provides victims with health facilities, counselling services and income generating activities to enable the people to support themselves.

Only 12 out of 92 winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have been women since the Prize was first awarded in 1901.