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.
. Meet Aaron, Alexandra and Viviana, three more of our new ambassadors. They share what peace means for them, and why they’re supporting Peace Direct. .. “Peace means mutual trust” Aaron Befekadu – the London School of Economics During one of many forgettable Monday evening lectures (in what turned out to be a surprisingly … Continued
Peace Direct calls for an immediate end to the violent attacks against Palestinians and Israelis. As peacebuilders, we have watched with horror, the devastation and death inflicted on the people of Gaza. We have also watched with horror the rockets launched by Hamas against Israel. Violence, whether inflicted by the Israeli Defence Force or Hamas fighters, is abhorrent and will never lead to a resolution to the long running conflict.
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.
Peace Direct is excited to announce the formation of a new Global Advisory Council. The group is made up of activists, researchers, human rights defenders and community leaders who are committed to helping us achieve our mission of stopping war.
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