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.

MPI alumnus Kisuke Ndiku wrote to us to share and call for thanks giving as they continue on the path of Peace Making.

Kisuke shared with us a research paper titled Keeping religion out of a conflict: Learning from the Kenyan Church published in the International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology that is a testimonial of the on-going initiatives in Kenya (not his personal work).

Kisuke went on to write, "Let us be both grateful and thankful that such a voice could be raised as indicated in this research paper.

"But let us also continue to pray for the Kenyan Church on its role for peace, in peace, on peace and at peace within and outside in its constituency.

"A specific person to remember is Rev. Stephen Anyenda, Coastal Interfaith Council of Clerics based in Mombasa, working along the region Kismayo to Vanga of Kenya's Coast. He has had very positive impact working with inter-religious leadership including - Hindu Council of Kenya, NCCK , Muslims – Imams and Preachers of Kenya, and the Supreme Council of Muslims of Kenya, the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Fellowship of Kenya (comprising of many Pentecostal/Evangelical churches), the Africa Instituted Churches, and the Kayas (African traditional religious/practices). All these have their various shrines, mosques, and churches where peace messages and right relationships are a major focus."

Gopa Bhattacharya (2015), did not waste time in implementing her newly acquired skills when she returned to India. Gopa shared the following news and pictures with us.

Greetings from Tomorrow's Foundation and MCC Kolkata.

As I shared, conducting a workshop was in my plans upon returning home. I started to incorporate what I learned during the training at MPI into workshops for government school teachers. We have already completed two days of training and the feed back was full of praise.

Going forward I will continue this initiative to include other schools.

Thanking you.

Watch Reuben Lilo's testimonial during MPI's 2014 Annual Peacebuilding Training.

I really learned a lot from the recent MPI I attended in May 2014 at Mindanao. I have helped to coordinate the facilitation of two separate Trauma Healing Equipping Workshops here in Honiara, Solomon Islands in the first and second week of November. The Workshop was facilitated by American Bible Society for the Ministry staff. The first week was dedicated to the Provincial Staff and the second week was dedicated to the Head Quarter staff.

Every body was so excited as this is the first Trauma Healing workshop ever organized for the Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace. With the basic trauma healing training I had in Mindanao, and the resource personnel and friends I interacted with helped to resource me to play the assisting role of assistant facilitator during the workshop. Our Permanent Secretary, Undersecretary of Policy, Undersecretary of Administration, Financial Controller, Human Resource Managers and all subordinate officers were included in the workshop. Such basic training really helped our Ministry to understand some problematic areas in bridging and facilitating our peace and reconciliation programs.

Regards

Reuben Lilo
Director of Peace and Reconciliation
Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace
Solomon Islands Government