Creators of Peace Kenya continues to make a mark in the Baringo area as people's openness becomes evident - the young people began with a few accusations of where they felt their leaders had failed and the leaders present, including two chiefs and the district officer, were happy to respond and answer accordingly. Everybody was able to realize their responsibility in peace creation and sustenance.

When some of our team first visited Asia Plateau in 1966 it was a bare hillside which is now covered in trees and a source of much wildlife. Later, in 2002, some of our colleagues from East Africa came to Asia Plateau to attend an International Farmers’ Dialogue followed by visits to Indian farms, and they were so inspired by what they had seen and heard that they decided to work together to hold similar events in their countries. This programme has since then expanded to involve Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, Mayotte and is reaching out to Southern Sudan and Burundi.

This is a report of the Creators of Peace Circle that was conducted for FIDA, Uganda on the 7th and 8th September, 2017. The two-day Peace Circle was the very first one to be facilitated by Creators of Peace, Uganda through its project, ‘Living Peace’, Uganda.FIDA is an association of women lawyers operating in a number of districts in Uganda, whose main focus is to provide legal services and advice to vulnerable women and girls. The Peace Circle was conducted at the FIDA headquarters in Kampala and was attended by 12 women, mostly FIDA lawyers and staff and a few representatives of their sister organizations.

In the “What Destroys Peace” session, lack of respect for other’s space and human life was one thing they talked about for a long time. They said that if the tribe that chased them away from their homes and burnt their properties, respected them and had value for human life then they would still be in their homes doing their businesses as usual. Creators of Peace has been asked to go to this tribe and hold meetings like this so that peace can begin from respecting ourselves, then our family, next our neighbour and neighbouring communities. We can’t live if we subtract respect from the topic of peace.

Celebrate with us The International Day of Peace 2017 and support the special November event of 200 Creators of Peace women who are at the heart of resolving tensions and transforming community conflicts in Kenya.

Towards an Inclusive Peace is looking for volunteers to broaden its team for the second year of the event that will take place on 11-15 July 2018. If you want to be part of a dynamic team from around the world that is dedicated to the process of preparing and running the event, please get in touch with us.

The invited guest speaker, Dr Lillian Cingo (the founder and former manager of the ‘Phelophepa Train’ which provides health services to the disadvantaged communities in rural areas), encouraged the elders on how to face their fears, using her own life’s journey with the Phelophepa train and how she had to learn to drive the train and manage a smooth flow of logistics. She shared that she felt that the reason why people’s fears never come to an end is because they are afraid of judgement. ‘Courage to deal with fears begins when they are expressed, because sharing is offloading,’ she said. The seniors felt encouraged by Dr Cingo’s motivational speech and the interaction with the IofC team. They would love to have more such times.

In the beginning, participants found the concept of reflection difficult to grasp but as time and activities were shared they understood what reflection is. One of the participants responded, “People assume what kind of a person one is by looking at how one behaves and reacts. However, the facilitator defined mirror reflection as ‘a mixture of one's story and inner encouragement to share one's story. With this I am confident to live my life as the internal mirror shows and not as the eternal mirror wants.’

On 6th April, teenage boys and girls between the ages 10 – 15years from Protea Glen, Kagiso and Noordgesig (areas around Johannesburg) gathered at the Initiatives of Change (IofC) office in Klamson Towers, Johannesburg to have fun and learn at the same time. The motivation that drove them to come that day was to explore a topic called 'Behaviour' whereby the IofC team guided them through the positiveness and the negativeness of behaviour and what the consequences are thereof.

Dr Imad Karam, Executive Director of Initiatives of Change International, received a Peace Through Media Award at the Tenth International Media Awards dinner in London last month. Describing him as an award-winning Gazan documentary film maker, the nomination cited his films on forgiveness and peacebuilding, including Beyond Forgiving and The Imam and the Pastor.