2021 HWPL Western
Africa Peace Initiative: Peace Educator
Empowerment Training
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In
June, the online “Peace Educator Empowerment Training” program was hosted in
West Africa. The program began at the request of African educators and it has
been conducted a total of eight times so far for educators and education
officials in Nigeria and Ghana.
Africa’s
population accounts for one-seventh of the world’s population, which is more
than three times larger than the United States, with more than 2,000 diverse
ethnicities and languages. It is called the continent of hope due to its
abundant underground resources and endless potential for development. However,
disputes and conflicts have arisen among various tribes as well as issues such
as poverty, discrimination, and marginalization.
In particular, Nigeria
had a total of 800
people killed and 65,000 refugees
due to religious conflicts that began in the 1990s. Africa is still living in
fear and anxiety of conflicts that can arise again among tribes. For this
reason, educators in Africa are voicing the need for peace education and
equipping themselves with the qualifications and the skills to become peace
educators who can personally educate people on peace.
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During
this program, lessons 1 to 12 of
HWPL’s peace education curriculum
were introduced and the future of West Africa’s peace education plans were
discussed. At the end of the program, a completion ceremony where educators
were given duties was held. Educators who participated gained confidence in
being able to achieve peace in Africa through this peace education.
Margaret ChiChi Nkire,
the Executive Director of Leadership Empowerment and Development Innovation
Initiative Africa (LEADIN AFRICA) showed a determination in working to the best
of her ability as a peace educator as she said,
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“HWPL Peace Education has given me the
skills needed to pass the message of peace differently through teaching, by
using the training module and contents to teach virtues of living in harmony
and peaceful coexistence such as sacrifice and forgiveness.”
Educators in Africa hope
all
students will love and practice peace by realizing the importance and value of
peace through HWPL’s peace education. This can
happen because they believe if everyone practices the value of peace, the seed
of conflict and disputes will surely transform into a seed of peace. Through
this program, the 375 educators and education officials will become leaders who
will lead youths who are exposed to conflicts, discrimination, poverty, and
violence to become seeds of peace.
#HWPL #EDUCATION #STUDENT #PEACE #IPYG
#IWPG #WARP_OFFICE #DPCW_1038
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HWPL’s peace work is unprecedented. I sincerely hope it will continue with great vigour, as it seems peace and stability is needed now more than ever in these uncertain times. More than 30,000 people from 157 countries attended the 7th Anniversary HWPL World Peace Summit online on Sept. 18th 2021, and more than 200 schools worldwide have been designated HWPL Peace Academies, educating today's youth on the importance of peace.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, many heads of state - both existing and former - have publicly declared their support for HWPL's Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), citing it as the only solution to ceasing all conflict and achieving peace on a global scale. The words of H.E. Viktor Yushchenko, former President of Ukraine, sums up the importance of the DPCW very well: “The DPCW is a perfect and balanced document that can be the basis of solidarity for peacekeeping in all countries of the world. I think all the leaders of the countries should support the DPCW.”
May the words, 'We are One!' ring true in 2021 and into 2022✌️