Women In Peacebuilding

Following the 2016 IPTI, Heng, of the SE Asia cohort, was hired as a gender consultant for Voluntary Service Overseas. She trains rice farmers from ten agricultural cooperatives in Battambang, Cambodia, on gender mainstreaming in rice value chains. She has offered an in-house gender training to Improving Market Access for the Poor Cambodia's staff, and is currently conducting a gender awareness training to 20 gender focal points. Battambang is Cambodia's leading rice-producing province, and Heng's training will cascade to 600 new co-op members in the area.

Through the IPTI trainings in Istanbul and Belfast, "I obtained skills on how to develop strategies related to both organization and intercommunal, intercultural relations," says Gayane, of the MENA cohort. Following the IPTI, she founded Identity and Worldview, a Youth-focused NGO in Gyumri, Armenia. The NGO educates people of the Caucasus, Europe and Middle East on resilience and analytical thinking. Her current project promotes dialogue between the communities of hosting countries and immigrants, and equips Gyumrian youths and young Syrian immigrants with knowledge of intercultural dialogue, respect, tolerance and leadership skills through informal education.

Charmaine (Xx) of Balay Mindanaw, the Philippines, is an IPTI SE Asia participant who helped train community leaders in North Catabato on: paralegalism (putting the law in the hands of farmers & communities), dialogues, and employing nonviolence in conflict resolution. Upon returning from her IPTI experience, an encounter between two local communities led to violence. Aside from documenting this, Charmaine and her team also assited the local leaders explore options toward a negotiated settlement-after exhausting listening processes and dialogues between parties.

Raihal, from the SE Asia cohort is now the executive director of Katahati Institute-an Indonesian NGO focused on democracy and good governance. She works on civil society best practices and peacebuilding in Aceh-providing the newly established Truth and Reconciliation Commission with data and documentation about victims and civil society best practice in Aceh during conflict and after peace.

Cultural Studies lecturer at Walailak University, and SE Asia IPTI participant, Amporn Marddent, from Southern Thailand, visited Raihal and Shadia Marhaban in Aceh Indonesia as part of an exposure visit and research study on Women and Peacebuilding in the Asia Pacific region. She connected with Raihal to explore peacebuilding principals that have been effectively developed with civil society. Amporn is planning similar research visits with two SE Asia IPTI trainees, Ruby and Andy, in Indonesia.

Since the MENA IPTI, Reham has become a Senior Civic Education Consultant for the Egyptian government. She is charged with establishing a policy for including Syrian students within the Egyptian educational system. She manages workshops and activities-encouraging the Egyptian students to welcome those who are in need of the country's help. "I will use the experience I gained from IPTI trainings to achieve my goals."