“Peacebuilders” in need of support

October 1, 2015 · 0 Comments

On September 20th Partera International “Peacebuilders” held an auction near Primrose in support of their work in training, equipping and mobilizing peacemaking at home and abroad. The auction was held at the property of LeeAnn McKenna – the Hub & Hearth Centre for “Everyday Peacemaking” which hosts retreats for groups, healing, sanctuary and training in the methods used by Partera.
Partera, meaning “midwife in Spanish,” was established in 2010 with a mandate to “birth” change in all areas of influence from the classroom to the boardroom playing an active, global role in peace and social justice. Partera is a “global network of trainers and facilitators” fluent in conflict resolution, economics, non-violent action, civic engagement, human rights monitoring, anti-violence and other peaceful measures that work towards peace in war zones. McKenna calls it “a small organisation with a big impact: over 220,000 trained globally.
The winner of the 2010 YMCA Peace medallion, LeeAnn Mckenna is the Executive Director of Partera and the lead trainer. She is also a teacher, writer, and musician who has worked in conflict zones in Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East since the late 1980s.
McKenna reports a beautiful day at the auction with excellent weather, food provided by the women of Primrose United Church, “hilarious comedian Martha Chaves who kept people laughing for half hour, followed by a local band The Campfire Poets, who had people dancing by the end.” Auction items included everything from “A man with a tractor” to an airplane ride over Hockley Valley. Although, a great day of fun, McKenna says the auction still fell short of the $7500 goal needed to meet obligations to partners in Uganda and NE India.
The auction focused on three projects that are in need of additional financial support as explained by McKenna:
The first is ‘Keeping Girls in School’ by providing funds to produce re-usable sanitary napkins that enable Sudanese girls to stay in school. Second, ‘Turning Enemies into Neighbours’ involves non-violence training with South Sudanese refugees crowded into the Adjumani refugee camp and their reluctant Ugandan hosts; as in most situations of mass migration, tensions and conflict erupt; this project will work with both hosts and refugees to find non-violent solutions to their conflicts. ‘Peace Tour on Bikes,’ a project led by a Partera trained professor and his students; a grassroots initiative to visit warring communities in the North East of India where over 600,000 people have died, and ignite a radically new conversation about peace. Peace Tour I took place in April 2014; the second Peace Tour of 30 bikers, which will include women this time, will visit in January all seven of the conflict-ridden states of the North-East, where the majority are Christian ‘tribals.’”
Those interested in supporting the ongoing “Peacebuilding” of Partera can still donate at www.partera.ca/donate/

By Marni Walsh