We are pleased to confirm that one of the candidates who was endorsed by DG Jim Bell on behalf of D5240 and E-Club of One World for the Rotary Peace Fellowship was successful in his bid to study at the Rotary Peace Centre at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand in June 2016.

 

Hope Tichaenzana Chichaya is very excited and grateful to Rotary for the opportunity of the Fellowship and will continue the connection with the E-Club of One World and D5240 throughout the course and beyond.

 

Hope exemplifies both the organization he works for in South Sudan; the Non Violent Peaceforce (NP) and the Rotary Peace Fellowship and we can be proud of our efforts in securing this opportunity for him to further his knowledge and skills in working for peace.

 

Hope is part of a team of peacekeepers operating in South Sudan, the world's youngest country, which is continuing to struggle with conflict and ethnic tensions and the aftermath of decades of civil war with the North. It is estimated that tens of thousands have died and 2.2 million have been displaced.

 

"The purpose of unarmed civilian peacekeeping (UCP) is to create a safer environment...for civilians to address their own needs, solve their own conflicts, and protect vulnerable individuals and populations," says Tiffany Easthom, the organization's director in South Sudan. By comparison, she says, traditional peacekeeping uses armed military actors and the threat of force as a deterrent to "keep the peace". "...Non Violent Peaceforce's extensive community reach is particularly important since the 14,400-strong UN mission in South Sudan has had no static presence in the opposition-held territories [and has]...largely constrained its protection presence to the protection of civilian sites on United Nation's bases."

 

Applications for the Rotary Peace Fellowship program will be available on the Rotary.org website in December and must be received by the Rotary Peace Center coordinators at Rotary International by July 1, 2016. Non lineal relatives of Rotarians who meet the qualifications are eligible to apply for this prestigious and highly competitive peace studies program.

 

Please contact me for further information.

 

Catherine Bonifant

Rotary E-Club of One World