19.11.2024

Learning Peace

Exchange in group talks, here using pictures as a starting point, was part of the conference.

The conference was organised by Félicité Ngnintedem (2nd from left), Head of the Departement Training & Empowerment and member of the UEM Management Team, Norita Sembiring (left), Teamleader Global Education, and Claudia Schletter (right), Administrative Assistant for Scholarships. President Rev Dr Pascal Bataringaya (2nd from right), leader of the EPR, gave farewell to them at the end of the conference with a gift of his church. Both Photos: EPR

“We see how the scholarship program impacts lives individually and, more importantly, how it transforms Alumni into instruments of community development”, says Félicité Ngnintedem, Head of the Department Training & Empowerment and member of the UEM Management Team.

From October 10 to 19, 2024, alumni of the United Evangelical Mission (UEM) and staff from the Department Training and Empowerment gathered in Rwanda for the UEM Alumni Conference. The conference was held under the theme: “Learning from Local Peace-building Experience for a Global Peace-building Process in Intercultural Perspective.” Hosted by the EPR*, the participants were warmly welcomed in Kibuye on the shores of Lake Kivu.

Twelve alumni from the general UEM Scholarship Program as well as from the diaconic Master Program IMADM* participated in the conference. They were invited to share their experiences in peace and reconciliation work within their respective contexts. To this end, the alumni prepared in-depth articles, which they presented during the conference. These presentations were followed by an intensive plenary exchange. The sharing of perspectives from diverse cultural contexts and approaches to peacebuilding sparked lively discussions and a profound learning process, leading to remarkable outcomes.

Félicité Ngnintedem remembers the contributions of the participants: “Reading each article is like exploring the depths of each context: we see lost dreams and shattered futures because of wars and hostilities that assault peace. But each, closely analyzed, is in itself the story of the engagement of people, with their faith in God and their cultural values. They are determined to mend the shatters with words and gestures of peace, so that from the shatters of a world today, a masterpiece can be made. That masterpiece can come into being if all understand that they can unlearn violence and learn peaceful-peacebuilding language.”

From Rwanda, the host country, as an example, the participants learned that reconciliation work is possible, even in the aftermath of traumatic experiences such as genocide. At the same time, it remains an ongoing process requiring endurance and determination.

The participants' articles will be compiled into a publication to be released next year.

*EPR = Eglise Presbytérienne au Rwanda (Presbyterian Church of Rwanda)

*IMADM= International Master of Arts in Diaconic Management (study course of UEM)