5) Description of initiative: The main focus of the initiative is to motivate young people to help increase peace, promote the participation of the community in the peace process by educating them peace and skills for peace building. The youths and community who have participated in our programs have benefitted skills for leadership, peace building and non violent action which helps in creating peaceful localities in times of emergency.Also, making use and strenthening our cultural based practicesof conflict resolution.

6) Description of innovation: With the realizattion that people just need a place to relax,open up thier heart, express their feelings, feel comfortable and someone to listen to them, we first build trust with the communiyt which is quite a tough job. A participatory kind of workshops/programs is also our strength. And the organisation who are also working on this line allowing us to go forward by collaborating with us.

7) Delivery model: The facilitating team including me are of the local community/tribe or are either of the 9 tribe existing in our district. We use a lot of traditional tribal method o freaching out to them- like meeting the chiefs, the pastors, village council headmen and women society, then to the youths.

8) Key operational partnerships: Peace building is a new thing for our people who are still on the process of development and change. It took us some time to help people and social organisations understands. But now we have a few organisatios in the district who are taking lots of interest on this line. We collaborated in every of our programs as well as theirs either in organising or facilitating

9) Financial model: We have an active pre-planned quarterly and monthly follow- up of our cells.The same also to those who have attended our workshops/trainings/programs. Our teams are all local communities which made access easier. Currently, we dont have regular arrangements of finances, we get help from organization who are willing to support us for every programs. There ate times we organized programs without funds but with the interest and suport from the villagers/community.

          • Costs as percentage of income: 30%

          • Financing: The local peace building programs from 2002-2004 has been funded by Northeastern Regional Youth Commission(NERYC)the organization I am working with. From 2005 with the start of the peace cells, it has been an initiative I have taken up with the interest of the facilitaing team with objective of encouraging peoples particiation of peace process. The sources of funding is minimal we are always on the look out and open to institution and organisation. Applying to this project has been one of the crucial step taken to sustain financial sustainability of the initiative in the long-term.

10) Effectiveness

          • Project outcomes: The journey for spreading for peace from localities to far flung villages made it clear to me that Peace is Possible. People are free, relax and comfortable in expressing their ideas and feelings for change in our programs and workshops. In a violence effected area all that the community need to change the situation, is an atmoshpere fo trust and someone who would listen to then and understand them. We are recieving lots of inivitation for workshops & consultation in certain district level programs, recognition of our organisation in community based programs, in the decision making of local council which are an important bodies of the localities in the district.The community as a whole including the students, teachers, youths, churches and local bodies benefitted our programs.

          • Number of clients in past year: Over the last years from 2002 we've reached out to many villages, denominational church, youth ministries, youth clubs, schools, teachers, students' organisation, local & community organization at the community & society level. Many people especially the youths have taken lots of enthusiasm in framing the success of building peace in our minimal way of contribution. This response took the shape by reaching out to the mass community for participating in change making by creating peace cells in 8 villages/localities of the district whom we educate and trained to analyze the issues and crisis and find an option as to how we can take a step forward to change.

11) Scaling up strategy

          • Stage of the initiative: Start Up stage.

          • Expansion plan: For the next 3 years, I want me and my team of peace facilitators to build up more Peace cells/committees in the villages and localities of our district which are more effected by the violence and conflict. As our objective is to help and strengthen more participation of the community in changing the situation in a more non-violent way we want to reach out to more people and educate them peace and find out alternative ways to resolve our issues and probelms. We want to also form a forum for for peace inorder to voice out peace when our target of 12 cells comes up with the exixting 8 cells.

12) Origin of the initiative: I was helpless and young when the ehtnic conflict of the Kuki-Paite happened in 1997. Many innocent young and old lives were taken and I've never seen lives taken away siolently. It was confusing and chaotic. My family were made victims as we have to run away to safer place and had 2 years of my education. I was filled with anger, hatred and fear, and traumatized. But at the new place of displacement I realized that I wasn't the only victim, there were other families too.Meeting the other family and their children gave my hart that there is a spark of hope that something can be done to change, there must be some help, a means that'll bring some sort of relief in the many youth who were helpless as well as angry and filled with anger as I do. the first initiative started after i attended a conflict resolution training in 2002, which gave me a full hope to go ahead with the help of NERYC

Contact Information:
Rebecca (Becky)  Haokip
Ashoka Fellow
peace Educator
Chamna Thutep
(Individual)
NERYC, Peace Centre, GNB Road, Ambari, Guwahati 781001, Assam, Northeast India
India
Tel: +919864270879 (Mobile), 913612519455 (Office)
Email: shalom.becky@rediffmail.com