Batoul is 16 years old and lives in Syria. She is the only girl in a family of three brothers. Over the last nine years, she and her family have been displaced three times, moving from the countryside of Idlib to the city of Kafr Takharim. Through a creative activity run by Peace Direct’s local partner, Hurras, Batoul has found her confidence once more, and her belief in peace.
We recently passed the year mark since the COVID-19 pandemic forced most of us to retreat to our homes. In that time, those of us working in international development, aid and peacebuilding have been confronted with a number of hard truths about ourselves.
We are calling on international aid organisations to decolonise aid and tackle structural racism head-on, in our new report, ‘Time to Decolonise Aid‘. The report is a study into the colonial legacy of the aid system. It outlines the steps needed to transform power relations towards greater equity. As part of the research, we hosted a … Continued
Our Development and Administrative Associate Christine Trillana, an Asian American woman, expresses her fears over the rise in hate crimes against her community. She calls for us all to engage bravely with efforts to end violence, and shares resources to stop Asian hate.
Since the onset of the global pandemic, we have supported local peacebuilding groups to take their work online, awarding over 230 grants as part of a Digital Inclusion Fund. Many of these grants went to women’s groups. This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the female peacebuilders who have kept their work going through challenging times.
Despite the impact COVID-19 poses to civil society and our collective ability to respond to conflict, we are resolute in continuing support for those communities around the world who are most affected. The continued support from People’s Postcode Lottery players gives us the strength and hope to continue our important mission towards peace. With players … Continued
The Foundation for Integrated Rural Development (FIRD) is a women-led organization based in Northern Uganda. They work to prevent violence against women and children, improve community life, and promote greater respect for human rights. FIRD were one of 233 organisations who received a grant from our Digital Inclusion Fund Initiative in 2020. Harriet Adong, peacebuilder and Executive Director of FIRD, shares her experience of receiving the Digital Inclusion funding. Here, she explains … Continued
We are deeply concerned by the news that Professor Muhammad Ismail has been arrested in Pakistan.
The opening line from Amanda Gorman’s transcendent poem, is no doubt how many of us felt at the start of the year. But like so much of her poem, I find many reasons to be hopeful as we look at the year ahead. Here are my top three hopes for 2021: My first hope is that despite the devastation caused by COVID–19, we don’t forget that local … Continued
Peace Direct welcomes the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and urges all Americans to join together in the work of healing our broken nation.