Makerere University Rotary Peace Center

Tomorrow, 16 May, the world marks the International Day of Living Together in Peace.

It is a reminder that peace is not accidental. It is built, practised, and sustained by people who choose dialogue over division every single day.

The Makerere Rotary Peace Center is bringing together voices committed to that work.

Join us for a webinar on Living Together in Peace this Saturday, 16 May 2026, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM EAT.

You will hear from:

✅Rosaline Obah, Cohort 7 Peace Fellow from Cameroon

✅Illugo Chukwemeke Cletus, Cohort 10 Peace Fellow from Nigeria

🗣️Moderated by Alex Abdulai Bah, Cohort 10 Peace Fellow from Sierra Leone.

Join in here: https://bit.ly/4wv5rdM

Cohort 11 fellows had the chance to receive copies of "Peace in the Age of Chaos" by Steve Killelea, founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the same institution behind the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), one of the most referenced annual reports on terrorism's impact worldwide.

This was during the extended Peace Research learnings of our fellows, where they explored how direct, structural, and cultural violence shape conflict, and what it takes to prevent, resolve, and transform it. "Peace in the Age of Chaos" adds a critical dimension to that foundation.

Killelea introduces an intriguing framework: Positive Peace. It focuses on the attitudes, institutions and structures that sustain peaceful societies before violence breaks out. Think functioning governance, equitable distribution of resources, free flow of information, acceptance of the rights of others and good relations with neighbours.

Sound familiar? It should. These are the same conditions that determine whether public resources reach the people who need them, whether youth voices are heard in governance, and whether communities stay resilient when systems are under pressure.

What happens to communities when climate literacy is absent?

Cohort 6 Makerere University Rotary Peace Fellow, Deborah Obor Odu, looked at as a peace and security problem, making connections through ClimateWISE, a Social Change Initiative implemented across Abuja and Nasarawa State, Nigeria, in 2024.

Before the initiative, students and communities showed clear gaps:
✅ Students understood climate change only as a change in weather patterns
✅ Most could not identify human causes like deforestation or fossil fuel use
✅ Communities had no framework to connect climate change to local conflicts
✅ Farming communities in Nasarawa State were already experiencing resource-based disputes over land and water with no tools to respond.

The results showed that education is a form of conflict prevention. Students went from seeing climate change as a weather event to leading advocacy in their schools and communities.

The research clearly showed that education is a form of conflict prevention.

Read More: https://bit.ly/4trbPju

Today, we celebrate the women who nurture peace long before the world ever names it.

Mothers are often the first teachers of empathy, resilience, dialogue, and compassion; values that shape stronger families, communities, and societies.

What does look like in practice?

For Cohort 8 Makerere University Rotary Peace Fellow, Olutoyin Falade, it looked like this:

She returned to Niger State, Nigeria, and built something real. From January to August 2025, Olutoyin designed and led the Monthly Architecture Dialogue for Women and Girls in Chanchaga Local Government Area. She brought together , , government ministries, agencies, civil society organisations, and traditional leaders around 1️⃣ shared goal: making sure women have a seat at the table in peace and security processes.

Here is what her Social Change Initiative (SCI) delivered:

✅ 47 participants trained in conflict prevention, early warning systems, and dialogue facilitation

✅ 3 government ministries engaged as implementing partners

✅ A Management Committee was revived under the Niger State First Lady

✅ 30 ministry staff trained in humanitarian conflict management

✅ A fraudulent company was exposed and removed from the state through community advocacy

✅ 100% of participants called for the dialogue to be replicated across all 25 LGAs in Niger State

Read More: https://bit.ly/4n6EAAl

Labour rights are peace rights. On this International Labour Day, we recognise that economic justice and sustainable peace are the same goal. Happy Labour Day to every person doing the work of peacebuilding.

Peace lives in the places where we spend most of our waking hours: our workplaces.

In her article, Obah Rose, Peace and Community Development Specialist and Cohort 7 Peace Fellow at the Makerere University Rotary Peace Center, makes a compelling case that building a culture of care at work starts with leadership commitment, employee involvement, and a genuine respect for human dignity.

When employees feel safe, heard, and supported, they perform better, stay longer, and contribute more. That is not just good management. That is peacebuilding in practice.

A safe workplace is a peaceful workplace. Here are three things every workplace needs to get this right:

✅ Leadership that models safety, not just talks about it

✅ Employees who feel safe enough to report risks without fear

✅ Mental health support that is as visible as physical safety measures

Read more here: https://theheraldtribune237.com/building-a-culture-of-care-prioritising-safety-health-in-the-workplace/

What if the key to lasting peace was already in our hands?

In her article, Obah Rose, Peace and Community Development Specialist and Cohort 7 Peace Fellow at the Makerere University Rotary Peace Center, makes a compelling case for Ubuntu as a practical framework for peacebuilding, not just a cultural concept.

Here are 4 things Ubuntu teaches us about building peace:

✅ "A person is a person through other people." Peace is not built alone. It is built through relationships, trust and shared responsibility.

✅ Restorative justice over punishment. Ubuntu prioritises repairing harm by bringing together victims, perpetrators and communities. It rebuilds the social fabric that conflict tears apart.

✅ Inclusivity is not optional. When people feel excluded from decisions that affect them, conflict follows. Ubuntu insists that every voice has worth and deserves to be heard.

✅ Empathy is a peacebuilding tool. Small acts of empathy shift the tone of entire communities. They break down stereotypes and open doors that fear and mistrust keep closed.

This is the kind of thinking we stand behind. Peace is not imposed from above. It grows from within communities, one relationship at a time.

Read Rosaline Obah's full article here: https://theheraldtribune237.com/re-imagining-peace-why-ubuntu-still-matters-in-a-fractured-world/

With more than 200 fellows, the Makerere University Rotary Peace Center stands as a major hub for peace leadership: knowledge, leadership, global impact.

What are the root causes of conflict in Africa? By addressing these underlying factors, we must empower our peace leaders to develop comprehensive and sustainable solutions that foster long-term stability and prosperity.