Amani Yetu, Uhai Wetu peace club members.
“Talent comes from God, he gave it to us for free, and we are supposed to share it with others for free,” said Rehema Mustafa, a Tanzania peace club member in Mtwara. “Volunteerism is key to our daily life as it helps us to share the talent we have with others for free.”
Members of Amani Yetu, Uhai Wetu (“Our Peace, Our Life”), a twelve-month peace club pilot project launched in January 2021, were educated on volunteerism, human rights, and moral leadership in December 2021 during a GPF Tanzania seminar in Mtwara, a volatile region bordering Mozambique.
Using different teaching methodologies facilitators offered instruction on the ten core life skills: empathy, self-awareness, critical thinking, decision making, creative thinking, problem-solving, interpersonal relationship, coping with stress, coping with emotion, and effective communication.
Peace club members also learned how to identify their emotions and feelings, recognizing the difference between frustration and anger to help them navigate their emotions. By recognizing the link between their feelings, thoughts, and actions, individuals can then address these feelings and react to them appropriately.
Trained Local Government Authority leaders and community volunteers are working to advance greater awareness of peace building measures and methods of prevention of violent extremism.
Facilitators also emphasized the importance of honesty—how looking at oneself honestly can help in responding to compliments, feedback, or criticism openly and earnestly. Developing the skill of self-reflection enables one to see and acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects of one’s nature, both strengths, and weaknesses.
During the training program, facilitators the importance of respecting each person regardless of religion, race, or ideology, and the role of moral and innovative leadership in addressing increasingly complex social and political problems.
The Amani Yetu, Uhai Wetu project has been increasingly recognized by the Mtwara community, with volunteers reaching out to households and village assemblies. Trained Local Government Authority leaders and community volunteers are working to advance greater awareness of peace building measures and methods of prevention of violent extremism in Mtwara and the border region of Tanzania and Mozambique.
Through student and community-based peace clubs, GPF Tanzania will continue to organize volunteer activities to advance peace and further conversations to promote safe, peaceful, and resilient communities. These students and the reached community will help to sustain peace in Msimbati and Nanguruwe wards from families to school to the general community.
