August 10, 2021 – Recently, Mary Valentino – a WPDI Youth Peacemaker working in and around the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda – was invited to participate in the Global Education Summit held on July 27, an event that was organized by UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank Group. Addressing the state of education around the world and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event brought together thousands of youths, thought leaders, and other key stakeholders to discuss how future education systems can and should be transformed to have a greater impact and prove more resilient in the face of future crises.
A WPDI Youth Peacemaker since 2018, Mary has long worked in and around the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement to build a culture of peace and reconciliation for the settlement’s nearly 70,000 inhabitants. Education has been a key aspect of Mary’s work in this regard, on many accounts. Not only has she taught countless primary and secondary school students about peace and conflict mediation as part of WPDI’s Conflict Resolution Education in Schools program; she has also led Community Dialogues that educated thousands of people about human rights and related issues, and within the past 18 months, she has played an important role in disseminating vital information about COVID-19 and safety measures to settlement residents. In recognition of her work, Mary was selected by our partner, the Western Union Foundation, as a delegate to the One Young World Summit and to serve as a Theirworld Ambassador.
Last month, Mary was asked to virtually participate in the Global Education Summit as a Global Youth Ambassador and talk about her work and experience at a discussion panel titled “Reopening the Future: Prioritizing Pre-Primary Education”. Mary spoke about her experience working with WPDI and the impact quality education can have on young people, emphasizing how – if presented with opportunities – young people like her can have a tremendous impact on their communities. She told them how “thanks to my education, I am able to give back to my community by conducting activities like peace dialogues, by teaching Conflict Resolution Education in schools, by advocating for people around me, and by helping other refugees heal past trauma … My story makes me wonder about how much more of an impact we could make if every young person was given a chance to discover their potential. There is power in young people if the right investments are made.”
Mary’s moving story and impactful remarks spurred a substantial discussion amongst the other panelists, all of whom concurred on the need to empower youths as an effective strategy to foster transformative change at the community-level. WPDI is proud of Mary and her contribution not only to the Global Education Summit but to her community as well. With world leaders pledging $4 billion to fund some of the world’s most vulnerable education systems, it is our sincere hope that many other young people will have opportunities similar to those Mary has had to have a similar impact.