August 29, 2019 – Earlier this month for International Youth Day, WPDI invited some of our youth peacemakers from Uganda, South Sudan, and Mexico to share their stories with us.
“My name is Irene and I’m from the Gulu district in Northern Uganda. I joined WPDI to become an agent of transformative change in my community. I have gained many skills since I joined and I am already conducting dialogues and trainings in my community to help people live together peacefully.
Education has helped me to build self-esteem, confidence, and exposure – especially as a young woman. Through WPDI, I have seen and interacted with changemakers who I continue to learn from. I want to tell everyone: invest in us youths, and we can help build peace and harmony around the world.” – Irene Akongo, a WPDI youth peacemaker in the Acholi sub-region
“My name is Alice and I am 24-years-old. I joined WPDI because, as a youth, I wanted to help transform my community. I have learned a lot about Conflict Resolution Education, Business and Entrepreneurship, and Information and Communications Technology. These skills have helped me develop patience, tolerance, and compassion for my fellow citizens.
I think it’s important to make education relevant to everybody. Let’s all create awareness and build more schools to promote equality. Everyone has a right to education, regardless of their tribe, race, religion, disability, or background. Let everyone achieve their full potential!” – Alice Apicha, a WPDI youth peacemaker at the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement
“My name is Tania, and I am a young woman starting a career as a lawyer. I am passionate about learning new things every day and being a part of WPDI has inspired me to be part of wanting to achieve social good. My life philosophy is to serve, and not to be served.
Joining WPDI has made a huge difference in my life. I love peace and want to contribute to it. Nobody has ever said that harmony is easy to achieve, but all great things start with a small step.” – Tania Marisol Estrada Ortega, an aspiring WPDI youth peacemaker-in-training in Tijuana
“I’m Patrick, a 27-year-old South Sudanese man living in Torit state. I teach at the Akio Memorial Secondary School, thanks to the training I received from WPDI. I help my students learn about business and entrepreneurship.
With WPDI, I learned that people all over the world are equal regardless of their gender, race, religion, or ethnicity. Promoting peaceful coexistence is my first priority. With the conflict in South Sudan, this is very important to me. I am confident that us youths will play a big role in bringing peace to South Sudan.” – Patrick Ohitai Chipriano, a WPDI peacemaker in the former Eastern Equatoria state