field notes March 2020 Transforming the world’s response to conflict

Responding to Suffering in the World

“When you love someone, the best thing racial and ethnic divisions, and scarce you can offer is your presence. How can you resources. It’s in these environments that love if you’re not there?” Thich Nhat Hanh violent conflict takes root. And it’s where Nonviolent Peaceforce shows up — to deter Showing that we care by being present is further violence and to protect people from what Nonviolent Peaceforce does. greater suffering. A supporter recently told us that giving to Yet, that isn’t the full story. People are more Nonviolent Peaceforce is her “response to than the suffering they have endured. suffering in the world.” And there is way too They’re determined to create communities much suffering. An astonishing 70.8 million wherever they are, so they can live and work people are displaced because of conflict. In in safety, their children can go to school, 2018, 41 million people remained displaced and they can create conditions for lasting . That is resiliency. And Nonviolent Peaceforce is there to support it. “Resiliency describes the capacity to forge solidarity, to sustain hope and purpose, and to adapt and negotiate creatively with the challenges presented...the local collective becomes pro-actively engaged in purposeful ways that help them recuperate a sense of place, at-homeness, and voice.” (Lederach, J. P. and Lederach A. J., 2010) Nonviolent Peaceforce is present in Peacekeepers on night patrol in an Iraqi displacement camp. communities as they face their collective challenges. That’s why our work looks in their own countries, while 26 million different in each location; it’s driven by fled across borders and more than 3 million local community members and how they were seeking asylum in third countries. are recuperating their sense of place, at- (NYT, June, 2019). homeness, and voice. It’s nearly impossible to comprehend Relationships are at the root of all suffering on such a massive scale — Nonviolent Peaceforce efforts. Our suffering caused by plutocrats fighting peacekeepers rely on one another — for power, communities entrenched in internationals who call “home” someplace “What helped me get through difficult times was the presence of humanitarian workers from different parts of the world. These humanitarian workers motivated me to work hard to support my community because they were working late, in dangerous situations and regularly visited us to find out the challenges facing the community. I asked myself if foreigners were doing such great work with love, what about me who was a local leader?” (Chief of Masna of Wau State, South Sudan)

National and international peacekeepers training civilians about resiliency. We look forward to sharing more stories with you that speak to the resilience faraway and nationals whose home may of people where we work and to the be a stone’s throw away. They rely on relationships forged by our presence, to one another for language and cultural sustain hope and purpose. understanding and to challenge powerful structures that perpetuate violence and Thank you for making it possible for conflict. Nonviolent Peaceforce to respond to the suffering in the world by being present. These relationships help sustain hope and purpose. It’s what keeps people going when things get tough. Creating a New Story By , Co-Founder We inhabit an inferno fueled by dominate happening at the fringes of possibility. identities, unrestrained militaries, massive wealth accumulation, and climate Through our Good Practices workshops, we disruption. Fear and violence are required to have brought together people representing maintain these forces. 47 organizations nonviolently protecting civilians in 22 countries. There stories are Yet at times of crisis, undreamt possibilities not being told. Few people know there are emerge. Many activists, inventers, artists, this many groups and the number keeps theologians, and philosophers agree with growing! We are learning how people Buckminster Fuller that the most effective are protecting: olive farmers in Palestine, way to protest is to build a model that is so civilians from gang violence in Brooklyn, attractive as to make the old model obsolete. First Nation Women in Winnipeg, and Fuller further advised that “we are called to communities of peace in Colombia. be architects of the future, not its victims.” No one person set out to organize all of Vibrant stories are unfolding far from the these groups. They are emerging from cameras or even the imaginations of most crises. We are documenting their methods reporters and writers. Amazing things are that can be replicated and scaled up. Most importantly we are building a community The next time you’re notified of Breaking of practice among these groups so they News on your phone, remember that there can share policies, experiences, and lessons are more unarmed civilian protectors, learned not only among themselves but with conflict transformers, mediators, new groups from neighborhoods to the UN. peacebuilders and civil resistors alive today than ever before and the number And while it sounds like cognitive grows everyday. This dynamic is not dissonance, something good happened inconsequential. in Washington last December. Unarmed civilian protection was specifically recognized in the report accompanying the 2020 Appropriations bill. The Secretary of State and USAID are advised to consider the use of UCP to protect civilians and strengthen local nonviolent capacities. While clearly an increment, recognizing unarmed civilian protection and nonviolent peacekeeping is a big deal. In no way do I want to imply that creation should replace resistance or active electoral work in the U.S. They have to grow together. Nonviolent resistance without the simultaneous development of feasible alternatives can sometimes change regimes but will not lead to transformation unless accompanied by a constructive program. Learning from our Good Practices workshop in Kenya. Committed to a Culture of George and Lorie Halvorson are committed intergroup instinct-related stress and to creating peace. They believe in the power conflict. of people who have a shared understanding of their humanity. “The beginning of George and Lorie, who hosted an event for violence is ‘us’ and ‘them.’ When you define Nonviolent Peaceforce in 2019, support the someone to be a ‘them,’ then it’s a slippery organization’s methods of bringing different slope to violence,” says George. This idea of groups together to peacefully resolve focusing on differences leads to “othering” conflict. people. Group-based differences shape armed conflicts and the responses to them. “Nonviolent Peaceforce creates intergroup understanding and interaction by using a George is the chair and CEO of the Institute sense of ‘us,’” says George. “You do that in for InterGroup Understanding and the chair high risk, high danger settings. When you of the First Five Commission for Children get 60 mothers walking together to confront and Families for the State of California. soldiers to end gender-based violence, they The InterGroup Institute works on racism, do it because they think of “those” women prejudice, discrimination, misogyny, and as an ‘us’.” ethnic groups, cultural groups, religious groups, political groups. Every group that we’re a part of has a culture, and every culture has values. And the values of the culture tell us what we should do and what we should not do, and we’re hardwired to feel right in accordance with our culture. One of the things we need to introduce in the overall culture is to not be violent.” “So we need to teach nonviolence and exemplify it,” he adds, “model it and Lorie and George Halvorson. do it. Nonviolent Peaceforce has some magnificent models. It has great examples George and Lorie believe that nonviolence and stories.” could become a natural first response to addressing conflict. Thank you, George and Lorie, for your generous support and words “We are all creatures of culture,” says of encouragement! You can read George. “We are all part of a culture or a more stories of hope online at www. group, and those groups are racial groups, nonviolentpeaceforce.org/blog

Your Presence Matters Most of us cannot leave our homes to go live and work in another country. But your gift means others can. Your support has put people on the ground for one purpose: to deter violence. You make it possible to have a presence in some of the most violent places on earth. Because of you, Nonviolent Peaceforce shows up and makes a difference. As a community leader in South Sudan said, “...foreigners were doing such great work with love...” Supporter Nevin Harwood speaking with an emerging woman leader in . Offer Your Presence Today Can build leadership capacity Can cover the cost to mentor $60 for an emerging leader $150 emerging leaders

Can cover the cost for Can cover the expenses for $112 peacekeeper presence in a $500 the formation of a Women’s displacement camp for one Protection Team day If you would like to learn more about leaving a gift to Nonviolent Peaceforce through your will, trust, or retirement fund, please contact the U.S. Office at [email protected] or 612-871-0005.

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