Peace Direct
Peace Direct is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in London . It supports the work of local peacemakers in conflict regions; their motto is "Find. Promote. Finance." In addition, the organization wants to change the way in which governments and international authorities look at grassroots peacemaking expertise: it is to become central to conflict resolution strategies. The organization questions the traditional view that the solution to a conflict must come from outside - from the UN, external mediators or Western NGOs. According to the organization, creating peace means starting below, because in the end it is the local people who have the greatest share in any peace process - it's about where they live and raise their children.
Founding history
The organization was founded in 2003 by Scilla Elworthy and Carolyn Hayman OBE . Elworthy had previously set up the Oxford Research Group , and Hayman was executive director of the Foyer Federation , a British youth welfare organization. In 2005 the organization was named Best New Charity at the UK Charity Awards . Since 2008 the organization has received funding from the UK Department of Development and the Baring Foundation. In August 2010 a German section (Peace Direct eV) was established. founded in Hanover; the Peace Direct USA section followed in spring 2011.
Projects
The organization supports projects in conflict areas around the world, e.g. B. in Sudan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burundi, East Timor, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Mozambique or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There was also the Truce 2020 project in London, where young people from problem districts were trained in peaceful conflict resolution. In the fall of 2005, Peace Direct organized an event where Muslim peace activists from Kenya and Palestine helped young British Muslims discover how to use their potential in British society.
The principles according to which projects and organizations are funded are:
- Commitment to local peacemakers
- impartiality
- Commitment to effectiveness
- Appreciation of the personal
- Commitment to change
- Integrity and transparency
The organization finds the projects through networks, field visits, recommendations and contacts from the Insight on Conflict website , a database that it has launched on local peace initiatives worldwide.
The organization also promotes grassroots peace work on site by bringing it to the media. She works with photographer Tim Giffords, Getty Images , BBC Radio 4 and the Virgin Group to find positive, active images of what peace is all about. Gill Hicks, survivor of the July 7, 2005 terrorist attacks in London , is the first Peace Direct Ambassador; a video documenting the importance of peace to them was seen by over 10,000 people.