Today’s ever-changing, multi-layered conflict dynamics demand robust actions such as the empowerment of both victims and perpetrators to become key partners in building and sustaining their peace. This strategy has proven to be exceedingly effective in fostering sustained social cohesion, community resilience, and integration. One peacebuilder that is taking full advantage of this approach is Klubosumo Johnson Borh, a Liberian social justice activist and peace advocate.

Like many contemporary conflict resolution practitioners, Johnson has narrowed his focus to empowering Liberia’s ex-combatants to become strategic change agents within their communities. He terms it “from destruction to construction”—a proactive effort directed at transforming ex-combatants into meaningful citizens rather than threats.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with MBBI on November 16, 2018, Johnson stated that Liberian ex-combatants are still in dire need for trauma and psychosocial healing. Liberia, Johnson’s native land, is recovering from a 14-year civil war that destroyed its socio-political and economic fabrics to unimaginable limits. It is a small state located on the West coast of Africa. From 1989-2003, one of Africa’s bloodiest civil wars was fought in Liberia, claiming the lives of more than 250,000 Liberians and dispatching a million others to refugee camps in neighboring countries.

As the war progressed, warlords began recruiting children into fighting forces. They exploited the fact that children are exceedingly obedient and do as instructed. And it worked. [Unfortunately], children that grew up under such circumstances became staunch loyalists and were used to carry out atrocities against the peace of the state.

Firsthand Experience

A former child soldier, Johnson recalls that “young children that were conscripted were mentally destroyed. They were dehumanized beyond measures. They were made to believe that violence was an acceptable way of life. They were told that the guns in their hands were their mothers and fathers—their sole source of livelihood. They were also told that they could use guns to get whatever they wanted.”

Johnson was conscripted into the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) of former warlord and president, Charles Taylor.  He was captured and compelled to join the NPFL in early 1990:

I am one of those young Liberians who lost their youth to the war. I was conscripted at age 19. I encountered NPFL fighters in Kakata, Margibi County. It was a quiet evening. I had walked up the street in search of food when the soldiers drove by. They immediately threw me into the back of their pickup truck. According to them, I was on ill-war—meaning, I was a soldier who had abandoned his post. I was physically abused, starved, made to sleep in the cold and took bath in filthy water. Warlords believed these were the only way to prepare for the frontlines. I left the group when I got injured on my left arm in February 1993.

Network for Empowerment and Progressive Initiative, NEPI

With such a firsthand experience, Johnson was fired up to help other young Liberians that were trapped behind frontlines and being brainwashed to commit violence. In 2000, he established the Network for Empowerment and Progressive Initiative (NEPI). NEPI’s sole goal at the time was to discourage young Liberians from allowing themselves to be exploited by fighting forces.

Following the completion of the UN-run disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation, and reintegration (DDRR) program in Liberia, NEPI swiftly focused its mission to empowering ex-combatants to become economically self-reliant; a strategy aimed at breaking the bond between warlords and ex-combatants. NEPI successfully achieved this mission through the provision of capacity development opportunities, while paving the way for smooth rehabilitation (trauma and psychosocial healing) and reintegration.

And while communities resented the reintegration of ex-combatants, Johnson’s approach helped them realize need to accept these young men and the danger communities may further face if former fighters were rejected, such as the possibility of them preying on their communities as armed robbers.  While such efforts helped communities enjoy an extended tranquility and stability, there was one thing that had to be done before the full reintegration of ex-combatants.

They were exposed to traditional cleansing rituals as a way of ensuring that everyone was on the same page. During the cleansing process, ex-combatants acknowledged their wrongdoings, confessed, took full ownership of their actions and sought forgiveness from their victims. Traditional leaders served as chief peace brokers during these exercises.

Meanwhile, NEPI is currently on a mission to reduce abject poverty and violence among Liberian youths through economic empowerment. It currently serves five of Liberia’s 15 counties: Montserrado, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Bomi and Lofa counties. Plans are also underway to further expand into other counties once desirable funding becomes available.

Johnson has developed a transformation program that offers rigorous evidence and innovative models focused on reducing violence and organized crimes among former child soldiers, ex-combatants and at-risk street youths. The 8-week psychosocial and cash transfer program also facilitates the rehabilitation and reintegration of beneficiaries into mainstream society.

NEPI Sustainable Transformation for Youth in Liberia (STYLE)

Brief Bio

A global peace researcher, Klubosumo Johnson Borh’s peace and development works transcend Liberia’s borders into other parts of the world, including Asia, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, and the United States.  As a budget and Truancy Assessment Program (TAP) program manager at Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development, Johnson has blended rigorous academic theory with real-world practical knowledge of conducting cutting-edge research and developing innovative solutions to support governments and organizations around the world to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. He has developed and implemented youth empowerment projects in India and Uganda. The TAP is a new prevention and intervention program designed to reduce chronic absenteeism with the use of a simple biometric tracking system, attendance, paired with a table and a fingerprint scanner. Johnson is a seasoned peace facilitator and trainer. He is a husband and a father.

An article by Fatoumata Bility, MBBI Writer

Born and raised in India, Archana Medhekar is a seasoned lawyer and passionate mediator.  Specializing in family law, she is deeply committed to empowering women and children.

Archana’s career began, not as a lawyer, but as a student immersed in the world of science, aspiring to study physics and possibly research.  Roused by the gender inequalities plaguing her own country, she wrote adamantly about women’s rights and the barriers they face.

As she delved deeper into women’s issues, Archana’s motivation to enable solutions grew.  Embracing her passion for social justice issues, she changed her career path and joined law school.  She became a family lawyer with the goal of eliminating gender inequalities.  She joined the effort to end violence against women and children.

After many years of practicing law in India, Archana moved to Canada in 2014, now living with her husband and son in Toronto.  The move from India to Canada shifted Archana’s entire viewpoint on gender inequality and justice.  She realized that gender-based violence occurs in all countries and affects women across all racial, national, social, and economic groups:

The women that I am serving in Canada face similar challenges as in India.  The face of violence changes and the issues might be different, but unfortunately, the world is the same.  Living in India, I always thought that most issues related to women and inequality were because of patriarchy, lack of education, and financial dependence.  But now that I have been living in a developed country for over 15 years, I believe these challenges are about power imbalances and how we think.  How do we change the pattern of thinking?

To change patterns of thinking, Archana embraced mediation.  With over 20 years of legal experience, she recognizes that law alone cannot answer all questions.

In the courthouse, she continues to elevate justice and compassion for refugee and immigrant families (non-status women and children).  Yet, she also believes that women’s advancement is an intersectional, multi-dimensional effort.  Women oppressed by inequality come from all walks of life.  They experience discrimination on multiple levels.  The authentic conversation and tailor-made solutions of mediation create a better opportunity for mindsets to change.

Archana became a certified family mediator in 2015.  For Archana, mediation gives families an access to justice that a formal court system may not allow.  When she joined MBBI, Archana was amazed by a network of mediators with such diverse backgrounds sharing the same passion:

[The passion] is contagious.  MBBI makes me feel so connected.  On the ground, we train and empower women to mediate and speak with various players in their communities.  We don’t find solutions for them.  Our approach is empowering them.  This is the ideology that is going to take the world forward.  Joining MBBI felt like going home.

In March 2018, Archana served on the MBBI delegation at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62).  She was struck by the power of the event.  The stories, struggles, and successes shared elevated women’s voices.  The newly introduced Women, Peace, and Security Index created a way to measure women’s inclusion, justice, and security.  This interdisciplinary UN platform created an opportunity for intersectionality and collaboration among passionate peacebuilders.

For Archana, the key to change is working locally and thinking globally.  She is committed to promoting mediation as an international peacebuilding mechanism.  Yet, by working with one family at a time, Archana connects the local to the global.  In a single family, relationships can be mended, lives can be changed, and communities can be transformed.  By holding each other’s hands and building on positivity, we can all make a difference – one family at a time.

Article by Kayla Elson, ITI Coordinator.

Archana is a member of the MBBI Leadership team for UN Working Group under the SDG Action Group as High-Level Political Forum 2019 co-chair. Archana is an active member of the MBBI Canada group. She can be reached by e-mail at amlaw@amlaw.ca.

Peace is a process and it requires full participation. To attain the peaceful world of which we dream, citizens [we], must practice empathy and compassion even when we do not have the full understanding or know the depth of our impact. MBBI, in addition to hundreds of volunteers residing across the globe, is fortunate to have a passionate, dedicated team of interns without whom we could not do the important work. These are the individuals whose contributions help translate our commitments into actions.

We are proud to have such a talented team and would like to share their stories with you. Please feel free to reach out directly to them to connect.

Karly Feinberg, Social Media Coordinator, is an advocate for peace and supportive of MBBI’s mission of creating a more peace “able” world. She enjoys the “passionate, friendly, and supportive members and staff in this organization.” Since her joining the MBBI team in March 2018, utilizing her communication and design skills, Karly has been a key contributor to enhancing the organization’s community engagement. Passionate about digital marketing, she creates and manages content for MBBI’s Social Media platforms.

Make time for what you want to do. You can’t tell yourself you’ll do it ‘when the time is right,’ because that moment may never come.

Currently, Karly is expanding on her academic understandings of peace by being an “avid reader of MBBI projects and attendee for the webinars.” Learning about peacebuilding in this format, she explained “has helped me better understand the intricacies of conflicts.”

Conversational in Spanish, Karly is completing her Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate with the hope to teach English abroad and make a positive impact in the world. She is currently in Ecuador to enhance her networks in her favorite country.

Balkis Chaaben, Webinar Coordinator, initially joined MBBI as a translator to expand the organization’s reach to wider communities. Soon after joining, however, with the desire to become an effective Peace Builder, she took the initiative to plan and coordinate MBBI’s monthly webinars, which cover a wide-range of peacebuilding-related topics.

You cannot be everything you want to be, but you can be a lot more of what you already are.

One of her proudest accomplishments was receiving the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program, where she spent a year studying in the United States. During the program, she gained skills that helped her communicate with the MBBI. “Interacting with Americans and International students boosted my understanding of the American culture better and taught me how to present a fruitful input in a multi-national setting,” she explained.

Balkis, who walked in the peaceful demonstrations in Tunisia during the Arab Spring, is not about to quit on her hopes for the better future her generation deserves. In addition to her work with MBBI, she is active with other non-profits utilizing her multi-linguistic skills and organizing intercultural dialogues across the Middle East and North Africa region.

Determined to continue her engagement in the international peacebuilding realm, she is applying for graduate programs in the US with the goal of amplifying the underprivileged voices. She “dreams of a world where each is respected for their own intrinsic dignity as human beings.”

Angela Hatcher, Resource Development Synergist, joined MBBI because she felt a deep sense of urgency around creating more peaceful communities. She was “looking for an opportunity to work directly with experienced peacebuilders and to learn from giants in the field.”

Consisted of change-agents wholly invested in the success of their communities, MBBI’s global family of peacebuilders inspires Angela the most. “I am quite certain I have made life-long relationships in the brief time since my membership began in June 2018.  I have been fundamentally changed by my participation in this dynamic organization.”

Through MBBI, she mastered her understanding of “the importance of making valuable relationships; to connect with intention and purpose.” A passionate learner, Angela practices her knowledge and skills while completing her Master’s thesis entitled Interest-Based Bargaining: Techniques for Resolving Labor-Management Disputes at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She enhances MBBI’s Member Engagement and supports the organization’s Impact Investment Team.

In all things, begin with love.

Angela describes herself as an activist, a researcher, and a peacebuilder. Like MBBI’s leadership, staff, and members, “I fight for the protection of the environment, for the rights of women and minorities, for racial equality, for racial justice, for a healthcare system that serves all people, and for the cessation of gun violence, terrorism, and war,” she declared.

Confident in the possibility of bettering the world for all, Angela hopes to serve in the Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services within the United Nations (UNOMS). She plans to accomplish by attending law school and working in the field as a mediator.

Carissa Ciampaglia, Peace Synergist, is a certified mediator and heavily involved with the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA). She is engaged with the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) and works on the Center’s panel for community zone-based mediation. Carissa’s experience revolves around building vibrant local communities. She is spearheading a dialogue between the Mediators Certification Consortium of California (MC3) and the LA Superior Court on the RFP that was put in affect baring non-attorney mediators from working in the LA Superior Courts. She is interested in facilitating mediators in gaining a wider depth of experience.

Carissa is a graduate student at California State University – Dominguez Hills studying Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding. Her thesis, Strengthening the Third Side: Interfaith Dialogue and Community Growth, explores the ways through which dialogues could help communities thrive and prosper by strengthening the third side, providing the necessary tools and insight to handle difficult conversations and resolve conflicts.

She has joined the MBBI team as a Peace Synergist helping the organization develop the Peace Conversation Facilitation (PCF) program, strengthen the Rotary-MBBI Partnership, and expand MBBI’s outreach in the LA region.

Showcasing your value as an important member of society is critical to the community of mediator. To develop and grow we need to be seen as invaluable especially along conflict lines.

Carissa has always been a de facto facilitation. She “fell into the field accidentally. I have always had a keen sense of the value of community and solving issues collaboratively.” Her academic idols are William Ury and Ken Cloke for their ideas on ‘mediating dangerously.’

A facilitated conversation is the strongest kind of conversations. It can push negotiation farther, Carissa believes, thus, she dedicates her efforts and time to master this type of mediation. And with a personal motto calling for international awareness, domestic engagement, Carissa hopes to become an organizational ombudsman, meditating in conflicted settings.

Divya Sugand, Writer and Peace Synergist, is a first-generation lawyer who hopes to “remove the very cause of any prospective/emerging conflict so that the same conflict does not arise in someone else’s life.” This has prompted her to work specifically in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR). ADR “involves modes like negotiations, conciliation, and mediation rather than litigation. These alternative measures inculcate the values of inclusivity, tranquility, and magnanimity.”

Believe you’re worthy of much more than you think. Go out to place to place, approach people, spot problems, initiate and offer solutions. You don’t have to be the best, you just have to be present at the time of need.

She is a self-described hustler since childhood and does not settle with what she already has, but always looks for new, better, and educationally enriched opportunities to develop herself as a better peace builder and reformer with each opportunity. With such spirit, Divya volunteers her time and efforts to spotlight other peacebuilders, expand MBBI’s outreach, and help engage youth in building a more peace “able” world.

Spending her time as a law professional between two countries, India and the UAE, Divya has learned how to be efficient in time-management and has gained a myriad of skills by working for MBBI. The multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic team of MBBI enhances the skills of planning, effective and confident communication, online tools’ literacy, and content and resource development.

She cherishes the exuberance and positivity with which each member of MBBI works towards peacebuilding, due to the same reason, “working for MBBI feels more like a community-service than a job.” She shares this same passion while she tutors elementary-age students, providing additional academic support to those that need it most.

Fatoumata Bility, Writer and Peace Synergist, joined MBBI because its mission smoothly aligns with her personal and professional passion for a violent-free, peaceful world. Telling the stories of MBBI members provides Fatoumata with a platform to meet, interact with, and learn from mediation enthusiasts from around world.

Find your passion and commit to it.

Relying on her experience and education, Fatoumata volunteers her superb writing skills to tell the stories of MBBI members through member and project spotlights. She also plays a vital leadership role in revamping the organization’s writer series, now branded as The Peacebuilders’ Platform. The Platform will publish articles by mediation experts as well as aspiring mediation practitioners from around the world.

Her passion for serving humanity directly translated into her recent Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management. She is grateful for the opportunity presented to her by MBBI to utilize knowledge gained from her graduate program. She hopes to establish her own organization “to fight gender disparity through education for girls.”  The biggest takeaway she has gained from MBBI is active listening and a genuine acknowledgment of emotions goes a long way to fostering peace. Peace is “everybody’s business and mediation is the most effective approach to conflict resolution,” Fatoumata believes.

Currently, Fatoumata operates a website/blog dedicated to amplifying the voices of women war survivors from across the globe, beginning with her native country, Liberia. Visit www.moussodafrika.com to learn more. She is also finalizing her first book, Sadjio, telling the story of a girl’s unflinching struggle to attain education amidst daunting challenges, dreams, grief, and years of healing.

Benjamin Lutz, Peace Synergist Writer, joined MBBI inspired by his passion to build peace and connect with so many phenomenal change-makers. Benjamin, an experienced researcher and writer, volunteers his expertise to spotlight members and projects. Highlighting the diverse voices of MBBI global family of peacebuilders gives him an incredible insight into the wide variety of peacemakers, of which he hopes to join. He shares Fatoumata’s leadership in revamping the organization’s writer series, now branded as The Peacebuilders’ Platform.

The road to success is never direct, rather the many failures you encounter along the way makes the successes all the more of an accomplishment.

The week Benjamin graduated from his Master’s degree in Middle East Security Politics and Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, he applied for MBBI. Enhancing his academic studies through an international non-profit dedicated to conflict resolution puts into practice the theory and readings that made up his degrees. “Learning from the field is so much more valuable to me than reading it in a book. MBBI connects me directly to the field.”

Currently, Benjamin lives in Washington D.C., and researches Middle East geopolitics. His interest in the region directly stems from his intensive time in the Middle East, where he spent over half of his four-year Bachelor’s program there. His Master’s thesis entitled “Analyzing Omani Exceptionalism: A Critical Reflection of Sultan Qaboos’s Modernization Policies” included some site visits to Oman as well. Alongside his research, Benjamin worked with local non-profit organizations in the Middle East focusing on sports-based peacebuilding, regional power politics, and medical impartiality research to learn about their function in the diplomatic process.

Proficient in Arabic, Benjamin plans to become an independent diplomat focusing on finding sustainable and effective solutions to some of the problems plaguing the Middle East. He is adamant about the role of local actors, local needs, and local communities being a part of the resolution process. “If you don’t include the local perspective, then you will never find a solution. Ignoring their desires ensures that the conflict continues.”

Article by Benjamin Lutz, MBBI writer.

Estera Borcsa, a mediation practitioner, has called on fellow mediators to join forces and help make mediation the go-to approach to global conflict management and peacebuilding. One cannot emphasize enough the need for global concerted efforts directed at helping communities, societies understand and value the effectiveness and impact of mediation, she explained.

Though Estera hailed ongoing mediation efforts focused on creating sustainable global peace, she believes there is a need for more dialogues around this subject matter. This is the only way it will command the respect it truly deserves, she added. Estera also underscored the incredible role of mediation in breaking general crises in these words:

It provides an opportunity for people to be heard. It creates an avenue for peaceful negotiation. There is no loser. Mediation is resolution; its outcomes are sustainable.

She is exceedingly passionate about supporting and empowering impoverished groups.  A trained law and mental health professional, Estera is on a mission to bridge the gap between mediation and psychotherapy. She has dedicated her life to serving families and young adults battling severe emotional trauma. Her goal is to help restore their hope for a better future.

In pursuit of her passion to make a difference in the lives of others, she realized that mediation was the bridge builder she needed to fulfill this personal and professional mission of hers.

Mediation presents me with a platform to advocate the causes of neglected groups. It enables me to amplify their voices at all levels.

Thus, Estera feels personally and professionally fulfilled as a mediator. It all started in 2015 when she attended an international congress organized and hosted by MBBI in Romania. “I appreciate my affiliation with MBBI. I have gotten so much from it, both personally and professionally. I have developed great long-term relationships that are contributing to my professional goals. Also, I have always wanted to create an impact in the lives of others and MBBI is helping me achieve that,” she stressed.

At the 2015 Congress, she connected with Alan Gross. His presentation offered enormous insights on the link between mediation and psychotherapy. He and the “different stories of advocacy efforts focused on creating peace in conflict-stricken areas” inspired Estera. Since then, she has been promoting grassroots peacebuilding around the world. “It was such an exciting and unique experience. Being in a room filled with amazing people who are doing lots of different things to create global peace was intriguing,” she recalls.

Estera currently serves at-risk youths as clinical director of five mental health programs. In May 2018, she received the Diverse Community Leader Award in recognition of her commitment to persistently advocating the causes of impoverished groups. The Award honors individuals or groups for their extraordinary contributions to Orange County, California, in the areas of human or civil rights advocacy. She also chairs the Sustainable Development Action Group and is also a key member of the UN Committee on the Status of Women.

MBBI-LA

Estera is the current Chair of MBBI’s Los Angeles Regional Group. Over the course of the last three years, her team has developed and implemented multiple projects, events, and training sessions aimed at fostering social cohesion in local communities.  The group also partners with other community-based organizations, especially youth groups, to provide capacity building in the areas of mediation, facilitation, and negotiation.

Additionally, MBBI-LA provides capacity building to Rotary clubs and districts by training Rotarians to be Peace Conversation Facilitators (PCF). “We teach them how to facilitate difficult conversations in their clubs. They are effectively utilizing these skills,” she stated.

Click here to read about Peace Conversation Facilitation Training MBBI-LA has recently hosted.

Article by Fatoumata Bility, MBBI Writer