2023-09-22 12:46:14
GOMA – Every September 21 of the year, the whole world commemorates the International Day of Peace, a way to promote peace and mutual understanding between nations and communities. On this occasion, the non-profit organization working in the field of communication, Media For Development, in collaboration with SOFEPADI under the financial support of UNFPA, organized an awareness campaign on the fight against gender-based violence, radicalization and social cohesion in the Lushagala displaced persons camp in the Karisimbi health zone west of the city of Goma (North Kivu).
In the presence of the head of UNFPA and a strong delegation from SOFEPADI, the participants in this activity were happy to have spent this day alongside the various partners.
Several messages of peace were launched through songs and participatory theater, a way for the organizers to involve those displaced by war and local communities in building peace, peaceful cohabitation and the fight against hate speech. .
For the UNFPA delegation, it was very important to spend this moment of joy with these displaced people who are going through difficult times in this camp. “We are happy to have been with you here at the camp to celebrate this day dedicated to the promotion of peace. We hope that what you are going through here will one day and you can return home. God bless you and thank you for the welcome.”
It was under the theme “Action in favor of peace” that this day was celebrated in Lushagala. Around 1,800 people attended the event.
For Paulin Munyagala, one of the members and facilitators of Media For Development, it was important to organize this activity in the Lushagala displaced persons camp to try to get them to participate in the peace process because they remain the first victims of atrocities of war in North Kivu. “We are delighted to have come to celebrate with those displaced by war here because these compatriots are the most affected by the lack of peace in our region. Many of them are traumatized. We hope that the various messages launched here will also contribute to social cohesion between the communities present here to one day achieve a climate of peace and non-violence in our region. This is why we thank the partners who support these awareness-raising activities,” said the journalist and peace activist.
Note that this activity took place within the framework of the ‘JPD47’ project implemented by SOFEPADI (Women’s Solidarity for Peace and Integral Development) and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) aimed at promoting peace in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
© CongoForum – editorial, 09.22.23
Images – source: CongoForum
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