Nitha addressing a community meeting organized by the Ministry of Social Solidarity in Dili.

In 2010, Joanita Silvira da Costa, or Nitha, as she prefers to be called, joined over one hundred other participants during the Annual Peacebuilding Training of the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI) that was held in Davao City, Philippines. The Annual Peacebuilding Training is a three-week intensive series of courses offered every year by MPI that aims to develop the capacity of individuals and their institutions in the field of peacebuilding. The courses explore the latest and most pressing issues on matters of peace, justice, and conflict.

Six years later, in 2016, Nitha generously shared her story and her journey as a peacebuilder in post-conflict Timor-Leste.

MPI alumnus Kisuke Ndiku shared the this publication with us. Kisuke wrote: "Here is is an interesting publication citing some useful examples of local peace. Hopefully this enriches MPI."

Effectiveness of Community-Led Security Mechanisms in Urban Eastern Africa: A Research Agenda

For the Muslim Maranao from the southern part of the Philippines around Lake Lanao, the word “rido” means clan feuds. Rido is a type of conflict most commonly observed in Mindanao and is characterized by sporadic outbursts of retaliatory violence between families and kinship groups, as well as between communities. But RIDO as an acronym is an organization that aims to solve this type of conflict.

The Reconciliatory Initiatives for Development Opportunities Incorporated (RIDO) have shared with the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute Foundation, Inc. (MPI) some of the amazing efforts that they have been making to propagate peace, counter violence with understanding and resolve/mitigate conflict in the areas in which they have been working. Over the past three years, from 2010 to 2012, RIDO recounted inspiring stories of hope and reconciliation in their publication entitled Kalilintad, the Maranao word for peace. Heading this organization are MPI alumni who participated in MPI’s Annual Peacebuilding Training in 2008 and 2009, including its Executive Director, Mr. Abdul Hamidullah “Pogie” T. Atar.

Glimpses of post MPI 2015

On July 1, 2015, Sister Ella Naben from Indonesia presented what she learned from MPI to the president and faculty of their university. They liked what Sister Ella shared and asked her to conduct a workshop for the faculty.

Sister Ella also applied some of what she learned at MPI in her work with the students and the Campus Ministry members, including the energizers learned during MPI’s 2015 Annual Peacebuilding Training.