Friends Peace Teams Report to New York YM
from Nadine Hoover, Representative
Friends Peace Teams is Quakers doing Quaker service and witness in the world. Conscientious service does not start after a draft or declaration of war; it starts today. Friends Peace Teams gives you endless opportunities to support and engage in alternative conscientious service in the world.
Friends Peace Teams provided extensive relief to those affected by an outbreak of violence in Kenya following the general election this year. Youth did not initiate this violence, but were central in its expansion. In the immediate aftermath, the African Great Lakes Initiative conducted forty mini Alternatives to Violence workshops. There has been a burst of requests for full Alternatives to Violence workshops, so additional staff have been taken on and facilitators supported to do this. About 200 workshops have been arranged. Facilitators attending the Alternatives to Violence Project International Gathering in Kenya on September 14-20 are offering to support facilitation teams the week before and after the gathering. We still receive donations to Friends Peace Teams, with Kenya Relief noted in the memo line.
Indonesia is continuing to conduct Alternatives to Violence workshops among refugees, in the “heart” of the war and with young children who were victims of the war. Indonesians are just beginning to be able to do their own basic workshops, so we have begun translating and introducing the advanced workshops. NYYM Friends continue to support seven Indonesian pre-school teachers to receive their bachelor’s degrees and we sent six other teachers to Jakarta for a two-week intensive training in developmental activities for young children. We are training potters from Papua, Borneo and Aceh to make silver-treated ceramic filters for clean drinking water. We hired a half-time coordinator in Indonesia for more continuity.
Sarah Mandolang received a Elise Boulding Fund grant and monthly, regional and yearly meeting funds to travel in Rwanda with the Friendly Folk Dancers, to Uganda to work with returning child soldiers at UNIFAT, a K-7th grade school, attend the AVP International gathering and volunteer for AVP workshops in Kenya, attend a Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC) workshop in Africa that she intends to bring to Indonesia. Meetings in Delaware and Florida are raising additional funds for her to return via India to attend the FWCC Asia West Pacific gathering and following young adult Friends gathering. She returns in November and will be available in the Spring to speak to meetings.
The Latin American/Caribbean program is bringing HROC to Colombia and continuing to support Alternatives to Violence workshops in that region as well. The bi-annual PeaceWays magazine will bring you inspiring witness from our work! Do you receive it? Ask your meeting about putting Friends Peace Teams in your monthly meeting budget and receiving bundles of PeaceWays and become a donor yourself. Beyond donations to the operating fund of Friends Peace Teams, each region of the world and activity much raise their own funds and appreciate earmarked funds for specific work in specific regions. We make every dollar go a long ways!