Hannah's Story

Hannah Ulangkay is a Muslim in her fourth year at a Catholic high school in Mindanao, Philippines. Four years ago she joined the Kasiglahan Foundation's "Youth Peer Program for Peace," a Catholic Relief Services-supported student discussion group that promotes Peacebuilding.

Looking back, Hannah recalls her hesitation when first invited to join the program. She vaguely understood the program as a venue to discuss peace and justice issues, and to share experiences with fellow students, especially Christians.

"It was awkward at first," she said. Over time, however, she came to enjoy the company of her new Christian and Muslim friends. "I even became a student facilitator in the 2002 Summer Youth Camp," Hannah says. "That was a terrific learning experience for me."

Hannah marvels at the opportunities the program provides for Muslim and Christian students to gather and dialogue and suggests it offers a model for progress at the regional level. "If our leaders could work together, we might be able to solve the Mindanao conflict." Hannah remains active in the program as her school's Student Coordinator, committed to building peace in her own way in her academic community.

How Do We Do This Project and What Are Our Accomplishments To Date?
CRS' Peace and Reconciliation program promotes peace building among Christians, Muslims, and Lumads (Indigenous Peoples) in the Mindanao region. Some of the program's activities include the following:

     This year, CRS trained more than 250 people in "culture of peace" and "conflict transformation" workshops, including non-governmental organization staff, religious leaders, youth, teachers, church-workers and community leaders. In addition, CRS' partners reached more than 2,000 people throughout Mindanao with training sessions of their own.

      CRS supported the Bishops-Ulama Forum, an inter-religious dialogue between Christian and Muslim religious leaders in Mindanao. The Peace Program complemented this initiative by supporting inter-faith activities with Lumads at the community level.

   CRPShilippines, together with the Mennonite Central Committee and the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, also organized the third annual Mindanao Peace building Institute (MPI) in 2002. The MPI is a three-week forum offering courses in conflict resolution, culture of peace promotion, trauma healing and other critical peace building competencies. This year's forum brought together 165 peace building practitioners from 17 different countries.

  CRS supported a community-based peace building project in the Maguindanao province implemented by the Reconciliation Center, a local church-based organization. The project combined peace building with livelihood and health activities. Various peace education activities were held such as self-enhancement workshops, inter-faith dialogue and children's peace dialogue.

The partners reinforced these activities with development efforts in the community, including a small lending program with about 40 clients, mostly women. Toilets were also constructed to improve sanitation in the village benefiting over 100 families.

Community-based projects that bring Christians, Muslims and Lumads together across lines of conflict can build peace by addressing the acute needs of Maguindanaons while simultaneously cultivating constructive relationships.

Background of the Project
CRS' Peace and Reconciliation program was developed in response to ongoing conflicts in The Philippines. The program promotes peace building among Christians, Muslims, and Lumads in the Mindanao region through a variety of activities.

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TRENDS AND WATCHLIST SUMMARY

APRIL 2005 TRENDS

Deteriorated Situations
Afghanistan, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Haiti, Israel/Occupied Territories, Myanmar/Burma, North Korea, Togo, Uzbekistan

Improved Situations
Cote d'Ivoire, Kashmir, Lebanon, Philippines, Serbia & Montenegro

Unchanged Situations
Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Basque Country (Spain), Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Chechnya (Russia), China (internal), Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, India (non-Kashmir), Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan,  Liberia, Macedonia, Mauritania, Moldova, Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan), Nepal, Nigeria, Northern Ireland (UK), Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan Strait, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Venezuela, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zimbabwe

MAY 2005 WATCHLIST

Conflict Risk Alert
Guinea-Bissau

Ten conflict situations deteriorated in April 2005, according to the new edition of CrisisWatch.

In Togo, Faure Gnassingbe claimed victory in elections denounced as rigged by the opposition; election-related violence killed at least 29, and some 11,500 people fled the country. In Haiti, bloody clashes pitting peacekeepers and police against ex-soldiers and street gangs intensified. A series of suicide attacks in Cairo killed 3 tourists and wounded dozens. And in Myanmar, relations between the government and ethnic groups worsened as rebels clashed with state security forces and pro-government militias. The situation in Afghanistan, Ecuador, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Israel/Palestine, North Korea and Uzbekistan also deteriorated last month.

Five conflict situations improved in April. A South African-brokered deal saw Cote d'Ivoire's president agree to allow his principal rival to stand in October presidential elections, while in the Philippines, a breakthrough in talks between the government and MILF rebels improved prospects for a peaceful resolution of the separatist rebellion there. The situation also improved in Kashmir, Lebanon and Serbia & Montenegro.

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