6 November 2017 – Kaduna, Nigeria: Generations For Peace, recently signed an agreement with the the Embassy of the United States of America in Abuja to fund a new programme in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

The programme, entitled United in Diversity: Improving Inter-Ethnic Respect and Tolerance in Kaduna State, Nigeria, is centered around  improving local capacity to use transformative dialogue in conflict resolution.

“Nigeria is an important priority for Generations For Peace and we have been supporting local volunteer-led community programmes to reduce inter-religious violence and to support empowerment of girls and women in Kaduna since 2008,” said Mark Clark, CEO of Generations For Peace.

Kaduna Nigéria.

“Kaduna has seen a spike in serious violence this year and this grant from the U.S. Embassy is very significant because it will support our programme in Kaduna to use our Dialogue For Peace approach. Dialogue For Peace is an innovative approach to support transformative dialogue within and between different identity groups, which GFP developed in partnership with the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation. We will train and mentor community volunteers to facilitate a whole series of dialogue sessions, reinforced by small community initiatives, helping to strengthen deeper understanding, tolerance and mutual respect for diversity, across conflict divides.”

Partners in the Kaduna State project also include the Global Young Generations For Peace Development Initiative and the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation. Eric John, Administrative Officer for Global Young Generations For Peace Development Initiative, voiced the pressing need for the new Dialogue For Peace Programme: “In the past decade, Kaduna has experienced a number of violent ethnic conflicts that have polarised this cosmopolitan center of learning that we all love. We trust that by generating mutual respect for diversity through small community initiatives, we will be able to foster widespread tolerance and understanding among youth in Kaduna.”

The programme will run from 2 October 2017 to 31 December 2018 and will benefit 1,355 youth and adults from ten ethnic groups in Kaduna.