By Lucy Graham | Fundraising Officer
The local people we support around the world are continuing to build lasting peace in their communites, despite the daily challenges they face. I'd like to tell you the story of Blaise, from DR Congo, to show the power of local people to build peace.
When he was just 13 years old, Blaise was initiatied into a militia group by his uncle, against his wishes and those of the rest of his family. He was put in charge of a battalion of 800 men and children, commanding them to fight, steal and kill.
When he was 15 years old, 30 men in his battalion were killed in a battle against another militia. Having seen such violence, Blaise realised how dangerous what he was part of was. He realised that fighting was not the way to bring peace to his community.
Leaving the militia, he knew that he wanted to help others to leave their lives of violence. He now uses his knowledge to help local organisation Centre Resolution Conflits (CRC), to help save other child and adult soldiers.
Since our last report, we've continued to help local people like Blaise to build sustainable peace. This month, our Senior Representative in the US, Bridget, was one of the keynote speakers at the Alliance for Peacebuilding Annual Conference. Bridget shared the power of local people to build peace across the world, with the United States Alliance for Peacebuilding, and an audience of experts and changemakers.
Your support helps us to keep supporting local peacebuilding organisations, and make sure they can have their voices heard on the international stage.
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