On the 26th of February 2018, Never Again Rwanda kicked off its largest and most far-reaching Regional Peace-Building Institute to date.
Since its inception in 2008, the Institute has graduated over 150 young peace builders from across the globe, giving them the necessary tools required to go back to their communities and initiate activities towards building peace within their environment.
The 2018 Regional PBI amassed 29 peace ambassadors from across the African continent.
The Institute’s initial reach extended to East African countries only, but thanks to a growing reputation as a peace building influence on the African continent, this year’s Regional PBI featured its first participants from Nigeria, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe.
This growing scope of influence across Africa works towards the PBI achieving one of its major objectives, which was also the theme of this years Regional PBI, ‘creating a network of global peace ambassadors’.
The first Zimbabwean to attend the Institute, Shereen Nhodza, said “the Regional PBI “was an eye-opener” for me, and that there is a “healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter”.
Ayomiposi Ayodele from Nigeria, noted that he is “leaving PBI with a deeper understanding of the power of the media”, and he pledged to begin using his new understanding of the media in relation to peace building, and in particular social media, “to stand as a watch dog.”
As PBI continues to branch out its reach, we are reminded of the fact that no one can build peace alone. Peace building requires cooperation and ties that cross borders spanning continents, and as it continues to grow, it remains a shining example of that necessary cross border collaboration, as a means to the global peace we all desire.
This Regional PBI convened participants from 11 African countries to include: Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, DRC, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and South Sudan.