THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE CELEBRATION REPORT

Transcription

1 THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE CELEBRATION REPORT Date: 21 ST September 2017 Venue: Munuki Play Ground, Juba- South Sudan Time: 9:00AM-2:00 PM Organization: Conflict Transformation For Development (CTD)

2 ACTIVITY REPORT This document is the property of CTD. It is permissible to copy and use any of the material in this report provided that the source is appropriately acknowledged. Further information is available from: CTD s Board of Directors Community Partners Section P.O. Box Private Bag, Juba South Sudan Cell: info@ctdss.org Website: CTD 2018

3 SUMMARY DOCUMENT: PROGRAM: THEME OF YEAR 2017 CTD INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE CELEBRATION REPORT INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE TOGETHER FOR PEACE: RESPECT, SAFETY AND DIGNITY FOR ALL. PROPOSED CLIENT: CONSULTANT: UNHCR JARED OLUOCH OUNDO, JUBILANT STEWARDS OF AFRICA (NGO-APPOINTED) CTD TASK MANAGER BOARD OF DIRECTORS DATE: 21 st SEPTEMBER 2017

4 LIST OF ACRONYMS CTD - Conflict Transformation for Development IOM - NGOs Non Governmental Organizations U.N. United Nations UNEP United Nation Environmental program UNESCO United Nations Education Science and Cultural Organization UNICEF - United Nations Children Education Fund UNDP- United Nations Development Program

5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Conflict Transformation for Development is thankful to all peace loving people who did not only made the 21 st September,2017 World International Peace Day a success, but continues to build peace in the society. We wish to appreciate the two schools that sacrificed and came for the event irrespective of the heavy downpour experienced in the area. We wish also to extend our sincere appreciation to the CTD staff who really sacrificed to ensure that the day is successful. We also thank the community and the neighbours who supported this event in one way or another.

6 ABOUT CTD Conflict Transformation for Development (CTD) is a non-profit organization established in 2015 to promote peace through empowerment and provision of essential basic services to communities for sustainable development so as to achieve quality of life. The organization is legally registered by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission of South Sudan under the NGOs ACT of 2016 as a National Non-governmental organization. For years, conflicts have had negative impacts on many societies which continue to require holistic approaches to prevent loss of human lives and destruction of property. Therefore, it is on these accounts that Conflict Transformation for Development exists to promote positive peace through dialogue, truth and reconciliation, economic empowerment, peace education, environmental protection and participation of different stakeholders in championing peace as a mean to achieve both socio-economic and political stability.

7 MISSION, VISION, CORE VALUES CTD s Mission We aspire to aid in conflict prevention, mitigation and post- conflict reconstruction process so as to achieve sustainable peace. CTD s Vision To create safe, inclusive, cohesive and habitable society for all CTD s Core -Values Integrity: CTD upholds high level of transparency and accountability in all its activities. Equity: CTD promotes fairness to all for we believe that we are equal in the eyes of God. Professionalism: CTD embraces high standards of professionalism; critical analysis of situations before taking appropriate actions. Universalism & voluntarism :To provide service for all even where voluntary service is due.

8 CTD S PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS CTD s peace activities are based on the following key elements of its philosophy: Belief in the dignity of life All people inherently possess a life-state of ultimate dignity and in this sense are fundamentally equal and have limitless potential. The interconnectedness of all life The lack of awareness of the interrelatedness and inseparability of one s own life and those of others human or otherwise can be attributed to justifying discriminatory attitudes and destructive behavior toward others and the environment. Reflection, dialogue and non-violence Inner reflection enables us to feel the suffering of others as our own. Through dialogue, we aim to join with others in a mutual stand against violence and the taking of life.

9 CTD S AIMS AND APPROACH CTD s peace activities are based on the belief that transforming our own lives holds a key to creating a human society based on compassion and respect for the dignity of all people s lives. Our individual actions create a series of positive reactions and outcomes. The message that One person can make a difference, is central to our educational initiatives related to peace and disarmament, sustainability and human rights. Our approach involves four steps: to learn, to reflect, to empower and to foster leadership. Ultimately, it is the individual members of CTD who make our peace activities a reality.

10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CTD was pleased to join millions of people across the world to commemorate this Day. Our choice to celebrate this Day with school pupils was driven by the philosophy of Peace Education which emphasizes on education as a key factor affecting our world view. UNESCO defines peace education as Tolerance, equality, freedom, solidarity, respect for nature and shared responsibility. And according to (Danesh 2006), school is where many of us spend most of our time as children and youth, and if we can bring knowledge, skills and change attitudes by creating a culture of peace unto the formal curriculum and school life imagine the changes we could make. One of the goals of peace education is to end violence. CTD is driven by the desire to help transform conflict in the society in order to achieve a cohesive and habitable society for all. Therefore, because of this conviction since its establishment with the help of well-wishers, the organization held its first ever activity in 2016 with urban refugee youths living in Nairobi Kenya. Sports bring unity in conflict affected society such as South Sudan. So because we believe in sports as a peace building tool, on August, 2016, the organization launched a soccer tournament campaign which brought together several South Sudanese urban refugees soccer players in Nairobi Kenya, with an objective of fostering peaceful coexistence. This activity changed the existed prejudices and attitudes of several participants who formerly had different perspective of peace. CTD is faced with a lot of challenges including and not limited to lack of resources. So because of financial constraints, this particular event would have not been a success if it were not because of some well-wishers who offered financial assistance. Therefore, we would like to appeal to the governments and the development partners to support and strengthen the capacity of the local organizations so that they may continue to provide assistance to vulnerable communities. Despite numerous challenges, CTD strives to continue to work for a peaceful South Sudan. As an organization passionate to help build a prosperous country, we would like to call upon South Sudanese society to collectively think peace and act peace. CTD therefore calls all well-wishers to join us in building peace in South Sudan. Yours in Peace, Gabriel Mawien Dut

11 ORIGIN OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE The International Day of peace was established in 1980 and in 2001, the UN s General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. The UN invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to celebrate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace. UNESCO defines peace education as Tolerance, equality, freedom, solidarity, respect for nature and shared responsibility. According to Danesh (2006), school is where many of us spend most of our time as children and youth, and if we can bring knowledge, skills and change attitudes by creating a culture of peace unto the formal curriculum and school life imagine the changes we could make. One of the goals of peace education is to end violence. Maria Montessori says Our concern must be to educate humanity. Children are the hope and promise for mankind and therefore it is essential to invest in them to promote peace in the world. CTD's activities to promote peace, culture and education are part of the longstanding African tradition of love, peace and unity which is also enshrined in the South Sudan constitution. CTD has been active in public education with a focus on peace and disarmament, human rights, sustainable development as well as providing humanitarian assistance and promoting interfaith dialogue and cooperation.

12 CTD AND THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE Each of the CTD s departments operates independently, and programs of socially engaged activities are developed in line with local priorities and expertise. In addition to activities as an organization, taken at the local, national or international levels, CTD emphasizes the empowerment of its individual members to play an active and contributing role in society. Central to this approach is the philosophy of "human revolution," whereby a deep innermotivated change within a single individual's life is seen as impacting the destiny of a nation and the world. CTD has initiated programs in support of the International Day of Peace and Non-violence. CTD has proposed broad themes for CTD s activities.

13 THE THEME OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE The THEME brings together the people of South Sudan from diverse backgrounds to recognize the uniqueness of diversity and embrace it in order to encourage peaceful co-existence among the communities so that to forge a way to build a united society. Furthermore, the THEME also brings together organizations, civil society groups and peace practitioners as well as the United Nations 193 member states, private sector, academic institutions, individual global citizens, partners to support diversity, non-discrimination and acceptance of refugees and migrants based on the Sustainable Development Goal number 16 which focuses on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; so as to promote access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

14 ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT There were several activities conducted by CTD to mark the International Day of Peace on 21 st September Some of these activities included; Sports Poems by the students Speeches Traditional songs & Dances among other entertainments

15 SPORTS Two teams were picked from City Dove Academy Primary School and St. Kizito Primary School to mark the day; the choice to have the two schools celebrate the occasion was informed by the philosophy of Maria Montessori who says educating the young ones would lead to a peaceful society. The teams were named War Team in red Sport uniform and Peace Team in White T-shirts. Peace scored 2 goals against the War Team who managed to score only one goal, making Peace Team the winner of the match. Conflict Transformation for Development believes in sports as a tool to bring people of diverse backgrounds together and make them understand and recognize the importance of their differences and build strong ties based on mutual benefits.

16 OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTIVITIES WITH THE PUPILS To bring school pupils together in order to build unity; To enhance pupils understanding of peace building; To create awareness on prejudices, hence change perceptions.

17 POEM S BY PUPILS Poem by pupil of City Dove Academy Alek Chol of Primary five from City Dove Academy presented a poem titled Peace. In her poem she highlighted the need of peace to create a serene environment where people will live in unity and have peaceful co-existence. She said with peace there will be no deaths, no cold murders and no public looting which is currently being experienced in South Sudan. Poem by pupil of St. Kizito Primary School Achol Aguek a primary five pupil from the City Dove Academy also presented a poem titled peace. Her poem said that they are longing for peace to come and take them home now and cease being refugees. She cried out that she is a victim of war, mothers are starving. In her poem she wondered for how long shall they be refugees and endure tribalism and corruption in their country.

18 SPEECH BY THE HEADMASTER Mr. Charles the head-teacher of the City Dove Academy thanked CTD for organizing International Day of Peace celebration in Juba. He reiterated that peace is important to South Sudan in its quest to move on with development. He added that if there is no peace, the young children who joined them during the celebrations couldn t have made it there neither could they have been in school to acquire education to better their future. He said that without peace their children, women, old people will suffer and ultimately many will die as it had been experienced before. He appealed to the south Sudanese people to embrace peace because peace is vital. He added that South Sudan is faced with many challenges today including infrastructural development challenges such as lack of roads, hospitals, schools and other necessary facilities because there is no stability in the country to enable any meaningful development. In peace, it is possible to build roads, schools and hospital.

19 SPEECH BY CTD S REPRESENTATIVE Phillip Chol Amuor, CTD s Jonglei State coordinator delivered a speech on behalf of Conflict Transformation for Development at the auspicious occasion of the 21 st World International Day of Peace celebrations. In his speech he appreciated all for coming as well as the chief guest for setting aside time to be there for this event. He also gave a brief introduction of CTD, when it was established, its mandate, vision statement as well as its objectives. He also highlighted the challenges CTD has encountered.

20 RELEVANCE OF THE CELEBRATIONS The International Day of peace was established in 1980 and in 2001, the UN s General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. The UN invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to celebrate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace. Celebrating this day was relevant because it helped participants to know the importance of peace and also help in spreading gospel about the need of peace in South Sudan.

21 EVENT EFFECTIVENESS The celebration was very effective as it was able to remind the participants what South Sudan has gone through as a country. This helped participants to be cautious and value peaceful coexistence. Every speaker who rose to speak emphasized the importance of peace. The young school children around were very suitable audience for the peace day speeches since the peace of South Sudan in 15 or 20 years from now depends on the young kids. These pupils are the leader of tomorrow and their presence on this day meant that CTD was impacting the future generation. The teenagers and the youth who came were also very vital for the campaign since these are the people who determine the existence of peace in any particular area. The skirmishes that erupted in Juba were catalyzed by the young people who were the key players. The youth were the people who were involved in the fights. The youth are the ones who are always at the front runners in each conflict; they are the people who are involved in the actual fight since they are the most energetic people.

22 PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY The major aim of the CTD s international day of peace celebration was to remind the South Sudanese the importance of peaceful coexistence. Most of the attendees were young people who were the main target audience for the CTD s international day of peace celebrations. Since the major participants were young people who have experienced the effects of the war in south Sudan they are able to cascade the messages aired out that particular day to their peers who didn t come for the celebration and future posterity. The children who might have never had the first experience of what happened during the climax of the South Sudanese skirmishes had the stories that were narrated by the first hand victims of the war. The audience was very emotional as they heard the testimonies from the speakers. The speeches too sunk deeply to the heart of the audience. These reminded them of what they have gone through and therefore making them more cautious and being peacemakers since the experiences were very harsh. The lessons learnt from the speeches and all stories narrated that day were still fresh in the minds of the participants. The audience was also able to carry the message home and cascade it to those who didn t come as well as the future generation and therefore the event was sustainable. Based on the concept of the oneness of life and its environment, the CTD promotes education for sustainable development and activities related to peace building.

23 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION CTD redefined its communication and fundraising activities in CTD created its social media accounts including website, Facebook, Whatsapp and twitter accounts. CTD exploited these platforms in posting information related to the International day of peace as well as its activities to make this day a success. CTD updated its social media accounts regularly to communicate on development as far as this day was concerned. The organization also sent out official letters to invited guests for the event. This letters were sent out in form of s and post office mails. several calls and SMS were also made to the invited guests to communicate about the day and even the rescheduling of the dates when the rains fell on the first planned day (20 th September 2017) making it hard to conduct the celebration that day since the field where the celebrations were to be held was heavily flooded. The CTD officials also had face to face meeting with the invited guests. The invited organizations included the South Sudan government, UNICEF, UNEP, UNDP, IOM, neighboring schools, among others. CTD also sent out proposals to potential donors to fund the event but none responded this forced the Founders of CTD to fund the entire event from their own pockets. It also created its first report on activities destined for private donors and partners. CTD recruited the events Communications and Fundraising Officers to help in fundraising for the event by soliciting funds from international institutions. The officers were volunteers based in Juba and Nairobi. T-shirts branded CTD and the theme of the celebrations were given to the participants. Banners were also printed with the key peace messages, as well as the CTD logo and the International Day of Peace theme for the year 2017 ( TOGETHER FOR PEACE: RESPECT, SAFETY AND DIGNITY FOR ALL. )

24 CHALLENGES The organization of the entire celebrations faced a lot of challenges both internal and external. The following were some the major challenges encountered: Financial constraints; this was the major challenge that the organization faced. All other things could have fallen their right place if the organization had enough funds to finance the entire proposed budget for the event. The organization staffs including other volunteers were forced to dig into their pockets to fund the celebrations. Natural calamities: On 20 th September, 2017, there was a heavy rain which flooded the pitch where the matches were scheduled to take place. So the event was rescheduled for Monday 25 th September, 2017 instead; Low attendance: On 25 th September, 2017, some invitees who earlier confirmed their attendance did not show up on 25 th due to changes on schedule caused by heavy down pours on 20 th September, 2017; Logistical challenges: some invitees didn t turn up for the event owing to logistical challenges especially for those coming from West of Juba.

25 CELEBRATIONS SUMMARY The International Day of Peace Celebration held on 21st September, 2017 attracted more than 300 guests including school heads, Implementing partners, local youth, students from the hosting school amongst others. CTD s hospitality team with the help of hostesses assisted with the registration of the participants as well as handing out of all International Day of Peace Celebration programme collateral. CTD ensured that the venue was adequately branded. CTD ensured that the refreshment set up for the invited guests was done properly. CTD ensured that the program ran as planned. CTD ensured that all invited guests got CTD s branded T-shirts and refreshments. The guests sitting area was well managed before the arrival for the guests. CTD hired local youths to provide security for all the invited guests since the police didn t turn up due to impromptu change of date and failure of the high caliber guests turning up due to the rains. Entertainment was done by CTD with assistance from the local youth groups as well as the students from the two primary Schools present. the two football teams much was successful CTD ensured refreshments were served on time for all the guests.

26 ACTIVITY OUTCOME Over 300 Participants and attendees were directly reached with the peace message Participants and attendees made a vow to maintain peace Participants and attendees became aware of the importance of peace Pupils and visitors who were not familiar with the cause of the chaos in South Sudan became aware The youths who came formed a peace committee that would be cascaded to the entire community i.e. those who didn t come were still reached CTD s online peace campaign reached many social media users both in Sudan and other parts of the world CTD officials were interviewed with the leading TV stations in the region including Kenya s KTN and hence reaching a wider audience. About 1.2 Million KTN viewers watched the program live and other 800,000 watched the clip on YouTube.

27 OVERALL CONCLUSION The International Day of Peace Celebration Campaign was very successful despite the number of challenges faced including inadequate finances and the change of dates which happened due to the heavy down pour on the initial planned date. A communication campaign should be rolled out to successful communicate the International Day of Peace Celebration milestones The hash tag was the trending topic of in South Sudan on three different occasions as shown in the report. We should therefore maintain the same so as to enable the team to track the progress of the conversation within the next 4 years. All the sentiments received were positive and contributors were eager to know more about #International Day of Peace Celebration. For sustainability, we need to engage with the audience on a day to day basis. The event has set a stage for best future peace building celebrations not only for Conflict Transformation for Development, but even for individual peace practitioners.

28 A LISTENING EAR

29 PROPOSED BUDGET Item Description Quantity Unit Price Total cost Chairs Plastic chairs ,000 Tents 300 seaters ,000 Sound system With DJ ,000 Referee local 1 5,000 5,000 Services team Youths from the area ,000 Award of two team 2 schools ,000 Water crates ,200 Sodas crates ,800 Facilitation of staff persons ,000 Air ticket Nairobi-Juba persons ,000 Marketing Banners, Posters, Letters, T-shirts 50,000 Printing papers rims ,000 Contingency ,000 Total 366,000

30 ACTUAL AVAILABLE BUDGET Items Description Quantity Unit Price Total chairs plastic ,000 tents 150 seaters ,000 Sound System with the DJ ,000 Referee 1 1 5,000 5,000 Services team local youth ,000 Award of two team School teams ,000 water 500ml crates ,200 Sodas 500 ml crates 7 2,400 16,800 Facilitation of staff event organizers 2 10,000 20,000 Printing papers rims ,400 Marketing Banners, Posters, Letters, T-shirts ,000 Contingency ,000 Air Ticket 2 people Nairobi Juba ,000 Total 194,400

31 RECOMMENDATIONS Student and youth exchanges ought to be regularly held in an effort to build the foundations of peace on a people-to-people basis, including regular exchanges between various communities in South Sudan. In addition, CTD youth members carry out various activities to promote peace, culture and education. Need of proper funding since holding event such as this requires a significant amount of funds. Thus, in case of a similar celebration in future, it will be necessary to solicit external financial support from local and International partners. It is essential to prepare early enough so that to avoid last minute rush. This planning process should entail; organizing, directing, budgeting and putting in place critical logistical requirements. Invitees should always be contacted on time so that to avoid last minute information. There must be contingency plan to avoid disruption by unforeseeable variables. in future celebrations there is a need to have an exhibition table as well as films/dvd/video showing war consequences to the participants to make the event more memorable and real to audience. Need to produce more posters to publicize the event.

32 RECOMMENDED WAYS IN WHICH CTD CAN PROMOTE PEACE Seminars, Workshops, Conferences and human rights education and Peace education CTD should participate in more seminars and workshops at regional and international levels in order to promote peace and international human rights standards. CTD should also actively participate in international conferences and meetings. CTD should continue to be involved in Human Rights Education CTD should continue to promote respect for women, children and young people and holds that they have a vital contribution to make as active participants in building a better world. INTERFAITH DIALOGUES AND CONFERENCES Based on the belief that CTD shares many core values with other religious groups and that the challenges facing humanity require us to work together to find solutions, CTD should regularly participate in interfaith activities focused on peace and nonviolence. Participation in UN Processes in Cooperation with the NGO Community There is a need for education to be the basis of progress toward a sustainable future. Three key themes should be considered: learning, reflection and empowerment. Fact-Finding Missions CTD should engage in fact finding mission in partnership with other institutions such as the UN and local NGOs.

33 THANK YOU