In accordance with September 21 also known as the International Day of Peace, an organization is highlighting an astonishing 12-year legacy of helping hundreds of thousands of people around the world to heal their grievances.
The World Relief’s peace-building program has set up 79 village peace committees in the DR Congo, Sudan, and Pakistan, and trained 744 volunteers to mediate between 343,247 people who were entrenched in conflicts, and helped them reach peaceful outcomes in the past year.
The volunteers willing to participate were trained in conflict mediation. They received instruction on what to do when someone comes to them with a grievance, how to investigate, how to bring parties together, and guide them in reaching a resolution. These Village Peace Committees address domestic disputes, petty theft, land use disagreements, conflicts over water usage, or other community issues. While more serious or violent crimes such as killings are referred to authorities, these individuals and committees tangibly break cycles of revenge by de-escalating violence and repairing relationships.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is an area prone to violence where local conflicts have led to high rates of forced displacement, gender-based violence, and poverty.
World Relief partners with local authorities to identify leaders in these communities who are willing to become committed to bringing about peace.
“We work to empower local volunteers and churches to boldly step in and de-escalate hostility in conflict zones,” added World Relief President Scott Arbeiter. “We are humbled by the women and men we have the privilege of coming alongside to equip and support.”
