A thousand militia fighters are expected to emerge from the bush and lay down their weapons today in the Congolese town of Beni, brought in by local peacebuilder Henri Ladyi. It’s the start of a campaign to disarm 10,300 fighters, including child soldiers as young as eight years old, who have been living in the [...]
Archive: March 2010
1,000 militia emerge from the bush
30 March 2010Going local is good for Sudan’s elections
23 March 2010In the latest controversy over Sudan’s first elections for 24 years, President Bashir questions the role of international election observers while the Carter Centre questions the readiness of Sudanese election officials. Surely the answer to both their concerns is to strengthen the ability of local people to assist and observe their own elections, on an [...]
Interns wanted
23 March 2010Peace Direct is looking for two interns to join our team in our London office. Peace Direct funds local peacebuilders working in conflict areas to rebuild fragile communities and stop violence. We’re currently looking for two new interns to help us in our work: Conflict and peacebuilding research intern: The role of this intern will [...]
Working with women in DRC
15 March 2010The laughter of a dozen children playing in the dirt by a mud hut fills the wet heat of the morning. Marie smiles to herself as she measures out their vitamin supplements. The hut is perched on the side of a valley and as you look out across it, you can see what once were [...]
Working with women in Zimbabwe
12 March 2010Mbuya Mambiro has seen a lot in her long life in Zimbabwe. But the last two years have been the hardest. Since the elections of 2008, she has lived with the daily fear of political violence and the collapse of local services. As a mother living in a sprawling township, her worst fear has been [...]
Working with women in Sudan
12 March 2010The old woman folds a shawl around her crinkled face as she squints into the midday sun. She holds out a basket for sale. In the pouch around her waist is enough cash to feed her family for a week. Today she will not need to dedicate her singing to bloodshed. Fatima is from Southern [...]
Celebrating International Women’s Day
08 March 2010To celebrate International Women’s Day 2010 I asked the peacebuilders we fund to tell the stories of the women they work with. You can watch them online at www.peacedirect.org/women. Join us in celebrating International Women’s Day – there’s a whole host of ways you can celebrate, here are just some of our suggestions. Appreciate the [...]
