On Valentine’s Day in 2002, activists marched through the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe, handing out roses to spread love in a crisis-ridden country.

The Rev. Shirley DeWolfe, the first ordained female minister of the United Methodist Church of Zimbabwe, told 30 students and professors the story in the Boston University School of Theology yesterday morning.

“Women are the architects of a peaceful movement,” DeWolfe said.

In her lecture, DeWolfe discussed how African women have used their gender to bring about peace in warring countries.

“I invited DeWolfe to inspire students to be involved in peace-building,” said Robert, a scholar in the Center for Global Christianity and Mission.

One year after Women of Zimbabwe Arise marched through the country’s capital, the women of the group tweaked their message to “Bread and Roses,” responding to a hunger problem in the region, DeWolfe said.

“I loved the different usage of roses,” said School of Education graduate student Corey Whitesell. “It truly shows how these women used their image as caregivers to change the patriarchal society.”