In the city of Kano in northern Nigeria, an area regularly affected by violent conflict, skills training workshops offer young people a better future. We support our local partner, Peace Initiative Network (PIN), to give young people a pathway to peace.
In May, as the U.S. Congress debated an expansion of its authority to intervene militarily in Somalia, our Somali partners visited Washington and Minnesota to share their innovative peacebuilding work. Isse Abdullahi directs the Social Life and Agricultural Development Organization (SADO), which provides young people with job training and conflict resolution skills. Halima Farah Godane … Continued
At the heart of all of Peace Direct’s work lies the belief that local people should play a leading role in development and peacebuilding programmes. Peace Direct is currently leading on the Stopping As Success collaborative learning project which is looking at aid exits and transitions in support of locally-led development. Farzana Ahmed, Peace Direct’s Senior Researcher who is managing the project, reports on conversations she had with aid actors in the Philippines last month.
Today marks both the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the State of Israel, and the culmination of six-weeks’ worth of Land Day protests along the Gaza separation fence. In light of the recent uptick in violence throughout the occupied territories; Peace Direct’s Scarlett Kassimatis and Oscar Lester examine the violent narrative surrounding the Great March of Return, which yesterday claimed the lives of 59 Palestinian civilians.
A joint blog by Lena Elhibir and Sarah Phillips
For those of us who don’t live in areas of violent conflict, we experience war via the media. On April 11th, 2018, Peace Direct was delighted to partner with Spectrum Media and the War Stories Peace Stories team for the War Stories Peace Stories Symposium in New York: a day of inspiring discussion on the role of the media in covering conflict and peace.
Now in its sixth year, our Tomorrow’s Peacebuilders awards offer global recognition for grassroots peace activists in war zones around the world. These are the only global awards for local peacebuilders – inspiring individuals who are building a better tomorrow in the world’s most fragile places.
On April 11, 2018, Peace Direct was delighted to partner with Spectrum Media and the War Stories Peace Stories team for the War Stories Peace Stories Symposium in New York: a day of inspiring discussion on the role of the media in conflict reporting. The Stanley Foundation and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting were key partners for the event, which was also supported by Humanity United, the Carnegie Corporation, the Compton Foundation, and the Jubitz Family Foundation.
This week marks the 24th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. At this time of remembrance, we reflect upon the legacy of the tragedy, and share our thoughts on the typically understated role of local agency in the Republic of Rwanda’s remarkable post-conflict transformation.
On March 24th, 2018, Peace Direct joined the March for Our Lives demonstration in Washington, DC calling for common-sense gun reform in the aftermath of the Marjory Stone Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The march on the 24th was organized by high school students from Stone Douglas, who called on other students across the U.S to join them. For many, it was their first time demonstrating – myself included.
Kaushayla’s husband disappeared during the 25-year civil war in Sri Lanka. To this day he has not returned. But through a network of women all similarly affected by the war, Kaushayla has found a network of people she can connect with. Now she helps run local projects supporting women to run their own small businesses.
