About

We encourage creative, critical thinking and expression through innovative peace-building and the use of media and the arts for social change. We’re passionate about developing and highlighting the potential of youth in Africa. We focus on the Great Lakes Region – an area that has suffered years of violent conflict and extreme poverty.

We believe that there is an important spiritual component in peace and reconciliation. One where human dignity, understanding, empathy and action are valued and pursued. Peace starts within – an inner transformation that changes the way we deal with conflict and injustice in the world.

We believe in the power of story to unite and inspire.

a peace of life gafotozi

Creative communication plays a significant role in peace and reconciliation and in community development. We’ve launched a youth peace media project in Rwanda, where there are high levels of trauma and poverty. Over 30% of all Rwandans suffer trauma and it is spreading into the next generation as those with no experience of the 1994 Genocide are being impacted by what they hear and see at home and in the community.

Tragically, large numbers of children are also living on their own, growing up on the streets or in child/youth-headed households. Well over 20% of all of Rwanda’s children today are orphans.

Rwanda also has one of the highest population densities in the world. Land scarcity and the very young population—nearly 60% are under age 25—greatly increases the potential for conflict. In spite of recent progress, Rwanda is still one of the poorest countries, ranked 165th of 179 countries (‘08 UN Human Development Index).

The first phase in our pilot project, gafotozi, a photography workshop among orphans and vulnerable children, launched in November 2009 in Rwanda, followed by a youth peace camp in 2010 and 2011, which resulted in the creation of short film, Tears of Hope, and a youth newspaper, Youth Catalysts for Peace.  Learn more.