GPF Nigeria meets with local leaders to discuss community needs and build a network of peacebuilders.
Imagine a world where everyone gets along regardless of our individual and group differences, and our shared humanity becomes the foundation for sustainable peace. This is the underlying vision of the Global Peace Foundation’s (GPF) “One Family Under God” (OFUG) campaign, which uses a values-based approach to peacebuilding to bridge ethnoreligious, cultural, and other divides and create unity and social cohesion.
GPF Nigeria is actively advancing the OFUG vision in Kaduna state, North West Nigeria. After successfully concluding its project in Hayin Banki, Kawo, the organization is expanding its outreach to neighboring Ungwan Gwari in Kaduna North LGA. To get the buy-in and support of key community leaders and stakeholders, Abdul Ahmed, the GPF Nigeria senior program manager, led an advocacy visit with the village head and other gatekeepers on July 25. Community leader Rev. Seth Wamba, who received the visitors, expressed his gratitude, stating that it was “a dream come true” to have the team express an interest in their community.
Representing GPF Nigeria Country Director Rev. John Joseph Hayab, Mr. Ahmed provided background on the organization, including specific accomplishments it had achieved in Kaduna state. Stressing the importance of our shared humanity and the need to collectively work for peaceful coexistence, he remarked, “We therefore engage community members to understand and embrace this as fundamental to living together.”
GPF Nigeria meets with local leaders to discuss community needs and build a network of peacebuilders.
In describing the OFUG vision, Mr. Ahmed stated that “Global Peace Foundation applies a values-based approach to peacebuilding with emphasis on the universal principles and shared values as a basis to address conflict, promote equitable and sustainable development, and engage all members of the human family.” Seeking community support of the project, he stressed that “As human beings, we have no choice but to live together despite our differences of tribe, culture, ethnicity, and faith; hence, it is wisdom to embrace one another in love and with respect.”
Dn. Hassan Jatau, a prominent elder in the community and representative of the village head, welcomed the GPF Nigeria team and offered support for the initiative. He remarked, “We will support you to ensure that the aims and objectives of the project are achieved. We shall also ensure that the One Family Under God slogan of your foundation becomes a song in the mouth of both young and old in this community.”
Actively engaging diverse community leaders and stakeholders is a cornerstone of GPF’s values-based approach to peacebuilding. Several community leaders expressed their appreciation for GPF Nigeria’s advocacy visit and for bringing its OFUG campaign to their community. They highlighted its transformative nature to create positive change as community members work together to create a peaceful and accepting environment for everyone. Dn. David Bugai, a highly respected community elder, said, “Honestly, if any community is in dire need of intervention, it is this community because we are the gateway to Northern Nigeria and serve as a meeting point for people coming from various parts of the country.”
Communities can grow and prosper through education, a collective desire for peace, and acceptance of each other’s differences while embracing GPF’s vision of OFUG, its values, and universal principles. Having received a warm welcome and the approval of community elders at its advocacy visit, the GPF Nigeria team has started to gather input from diverse community members through a baseline survey and focus group discussion.
