By Politico writer
Peace is only achievable through individual efforts and accepting each other, John Caulker, Executive Director of Fambul Tok, has told a group of community mediators.
Fambul Tok is a local Non-Governmental Organisation which uses community engagement in securing peaceful co-existence. It does so by training people to serve as peace ambassadors.
Fambul Tok came into existence in the aftermath of the 1991-2002 civil war. The organization has trained hundreds of people organized peace hearing where communities have engaged and resolved difference by talking.
As part of its community awareness and education programmes to commemorate international day of peace on September 21, FambulTok commissioned a new set of community mediators in the Barawa Section of Nieni chiefdom in the Koinadugu district to promote peace and unity in their various communities.
September 21 is a UN designated day designed to preach peace through education and public engagement.
The Fambul Tok occasion was held in Firawa Village.
The organization, according to a statement dispatched to Politico, has trained over 800 community mediators in the districts of Kailahun, Moyamba and Koinadugu to handle minor cases and also champion post Ebola activities in their communities
“Communities are expected to have lots of issues after the Ebola epidemic,” Mr Caulker was quoted in the dispatch saying.
He said after the civil war, identification of post-war activities excluded the targeted communities, thereby creating some problems during implementation. FambulTok, he added, had resolved to engage communities so that together they could plan or design activities they wanted to embark on after Ebola.
Before now Barawa had benefitted from Fambul Tok`s projects, with the training of over 230 people with the primary focus to foster peace and unity using skills they had acquired in different topics.
Town chief of Firawa, Yankuba Marah, praised Fambul Tok for paving the way for peace to reign in his chiefdom. He said there were lots of issues among people and that the Ebola epidemic deepened the wounds, hence the significance of the training of the mediators to handle minor conflicts.
Beneficiaries of the training were given banners which they will hang in their homes to serve as identification in their communities.
Each mediator also received a pack of soap, meant to encourage the hand washing culture occasioned by the emergence of Ebola.
(C) Politico Online 29/09/15
