Did you go to camp as a child? That can be one of life's most memorable experiences. Our Ugandan peace partner, Dorothy, hosted a one-week camp for 1,000 children in a refugee settlement in August.
That's what Joshua asked on behalf of the graduates of his peace class in Buliisa, Uganda. While “Are We Together?” is universal, most of the graduates are Christians, and the Bible is a treatise to peace – peace between God and people, peace amongst people of all faiths and nationalities (even love for enemies), and environmental stewardship. Therefore, it is a great resource for these teenagers.
Dear friends,
I am excited to share what's been happening at CryPeace.
We're growing - and our next opportunity is our biggest yet! We have been invited to train 50 teachers from 25 schools in western Uganda how to use our "Are We Together?" peace curriculum effectively. They will be participating in a 3-day festival to train 5,000 students how to use arts for peace, organized by Mentoring Peace Champions Uganda.
I was excited to meet Milcah Kizitu this month. She joined our peace education movement last year from a training workshop our local coordinators, Chrispo and Joshua, led. I'll let Milcah share what happened next in her own words.
Rev. Fredrick Kisitu is a very loving man. He pastored in a slum in Kampala for years, then started a school for disadvantaged children when he retired. But he didn't know that peace included his Muslim neighbours until he made friends with a Muslim at our CryPeace workshop.
Rev. Kisitu shares,
Today, I had a meeting with Joshua Oyergiu, our peace partner in Uganda. We are planning how to expand our peace program in 2025. When Joshua started sharing from his heart how relevant our peace curriculum is to his students, and how he wished everyone, young and old alike, had the opportunity to learn how to nurture more peaceful relationships, I asked him to please share his message with you. I know you will be as encouraged as I was.
The hardest thing I have seen yet in Kampala are the people subsisting off the Kiteezi Landfill. 1.2 tonnes of garbage are dumped here every day. It's bubbling with methane and unfit even for maribou storks to feed off of, but dozens of people subsist by scavenging for pig slop and selling plastic for $1/kg. A secondary industry has sprung up to serve the recyclers. Entrepreneurs sell peanuts, sugarcane and hot meals in the hot stench.
