By Anoek Letschert | Fundraising officer
Report 'Inspiring Communities Globally to build Peace'
MasterPeace Project
MasterPeace works to inspire people at grassroots level around the world to contribute their talents, skills and knowledge to peacebuilding activities, and become part of the most heartwarming Peace Movement ever. MasterPeace recognizes and emphasizes that every individual possessess skills, knowledge and talents necessary to overcome challenges related to conflict (e.g. a local struggle in communities, individuals confronted with inequalities, or conflicts at the regional or national level). Particularly youth, artists, and social entrepreneurs have special talents that can contribute to a culture of peace. Therefore these people are actively invited to become active in peacebuilding. The outreach activities, through online and offline campaigning, are coordinated and implemented from the Central Office in Cairo. Individuals form various countries interested in starting-up a Club receive further assistance and support from the Central Office team.
Inspiring communities globally to build peace
With the $4000, raised during the September Open Challenge, MasterPeace has been able to develop new communication material in order to reach out to a larger number of people around the world. The following video presentation is developed with the money and (http://vimeo.com/54090354#) provides a fresh and clear overview of activities from MasterPeace Clubs worldwide. This video is shared online and is distributed to potential interested parties as an open invitation to start their own MasterPeace initiatives. The strenght of this video is that it shows that all events take place at grassroots level. The activities, therefore, have direct impact on local communities by encouraging (local) dialogue and a culture of peace through arts and other cultural initiatives. Just over one year ago, MasterPeace started in 14 countries. Now the organization united several thousand people in over 30 countries, including several conflict areas. With support form the GlobalGiving Open Challenge, MasterPeace is now able to communicate a fresh and clear message, and inspire more people to start-up a club in their country. The ambitious target is set on having 200 clubs by the end of 2014. By the end of the year a next movie is expected completely developed with motion images. Currently the Central Office team is collecting all the materials from 30 countries.
Tell a story about a beneficiary or provide details about how many individuals have been helped.
Charles S Boye Jr., the coordinator of MasterPeace Sierra Leone was inspired by the MasterPeace movement in 2011 and decided to start a Club. Besides organising innovative and creative events on the International Day of Peace, 21 September, he is an active MasterPeacer all year round. Regularly he posts online about his achievements in the name of MasterPeace Club Sierra Leone. Two short rolemodel examples of the impact of a MasterPeace Club: Chalres S Boye Jr. (pictures left) writes that MasterPeace Club Sierra Leone has been approached and accreditted to act as impartial observers in during the Presidential election on 17 November 2012. MasterPeace volunteers went to different polling stations, and are proud and happy to say that they have contributed to peaceful elections.
Besides this, the Sierra Leonean coordinator initiating a meeting with MasterPeace Guinea to talk about strengthening the relationship in the Mano River region. The objective of this meeting was to contribute to peaceful dialogue between Sierra Leone and Guinea on the Yenga land dispute in the Kailahun district, in east Sierra Leone where the war started in 1991. Both MasterPeace Clubs want to contribute to solving this issue, and they want to do this together. Creating peace together! That's MasterPeace!
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