Each organisation offers a fascinating snapshot of local action to resolve conflict and build peace. They come from every corner of the world, and despite their diverse backgrounds, they all share a drive to tackle the root causes of conflict and build lasting peace within their communities.
In October, three winners will be chosen by an international panel of judges at PeaceCon 2018, the Alliance for Peacebuilding’s annual conference on October 24-26.
The nine organisations that have been chosen fall under three categories: women-led peacebuilding, youth-led peacebuilding and non-violent action.
From over 300 applications submitted to Peace Direct, a shortlist of nine was presented to a panel of international experts to make the final decision.
The 2018 finalists are illustrative of the competition’s diversity of organisations and peacebuilding approaches. Hear more about their work in our video:
The shortlist is as follows:
Proceso de Comunidades Negras (PCN) – Colombia
PCN seeks to empower Afro-Colombian women and girls to overcome marginalisation, the trauma of conflict and sexual and gender-based violence, and to support grassroots leaders.
They plan to send trained observers to remote regions of Colombia to collect testimony of Afro-Colombian experiences of conflict and help survivors find justice and healing.
Kareemat – Turkey / Syria
Based in Turkey, Kareemat works to support Syrian refugees by helping women find opportunities for work, dissuading young men from taking up arms, and combating stereotypes towards Syrian refugees in Turkey.
Their proposed peacebuilding activities include counselling, workshops on the dangers of war, discussion groups into the impact of violence against women, and film screenings to raise awareness of women leaders solving conflicts.
Activate Labs uses storytelling, media, and the arts to tackle injustice and promote peace in the USA. Their work has included marches, intersectional iftar dinners, and training for female leaders in the border towns with Mexico.
Led predominantly by women, their project proposes to bring together social justice organisers and peacebuilders to discuss and develop work on issues relating to immigration and criminal justice systems.
Save Youth Future Society (SYFS) – Palestine
Since 2001, SYFS has worked to address conflict and divisions within communities in the Gaza Strip. They focus on engaging young people through volunteering.
Their project proposes to develop their Youth Councils initiative; groups of volunteers spread across Gaza who play a key role in promoting civic engagement and the values of peace and non-violence in their communities.
Volunteers for Peace and Culture Foundation (VPCF) – Yemen
Since 2015, VPCF has been working to stop conflict in Yemen through community projects including advocacy campaigns, drawing competitions and a ‘Peace Library.’
Their project plan is to share the human experience behind the numbers associated with conflict in Yemen. They will collect stories that tell the reality of those impacted by war and share them widely to national and international audiences.
Young-adult Empowerment Initiative (YEI) – Uganda / South Sudan
YEI is a youth-led organisation working with South Sudanese refugees and their host communities in Uganda. They work to empower young people through different programmes including training, sports and community dialogues.
They plan to address sexual and gender-based violence by providing training to young women so they can tackle violence in their communities and participate in peace processes, ultimately building their own activities.
Nagarik Aawaz has worked for peace in Nepal since 2002, and seeks to overcome the legacy of a decade-long armed insurgency in the country by working with those affected by conflict to come to terms with their experiences.
Their proposed activities are to work with ex-combatants and those affected by conflict through storytelling sessions, and to provide micro-grants to young people to initiate their own non-violent movements.
Movilizatorio develops projects to strengthen participation in Colombia’s peace process.They work with social activists and civil society to improve their effectiveness, build new technologies, and launch advocacy campaigns.
Their project plan is to strengthen interaction and participation within their El Avispero network, an online community working to launch mass mobilisation campaigns for peace and social change.
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) – India
SEWA’s activities are based in Gujarat, a region with a long history of inter-religious conflict between Hindu and Muslim communities. They work with women and their families who have experienced inter-religious violence.
Their project seeks to expand the Peacebuilding Centres Programme with three new centres, providing peace education to women in the area, trauma counselling to victims of inter-religious violence, and supporting children’s access to education.
The shortlist for our photography prize is being finalised, and will soon be made available.
We are grateful to our generous sponors the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Away, the United States Institute of Peace, Humanity United, and the Pickwell Foundation for supporting this year’s awards and award ceremony.
