This Thanksgiving weekend (in the United States) I give thanks for you, and your commitment to peacebuilding!
This is OMNIA’s journey as well. As the African proverb says: If you want to go fast, walk alone. If you want to go far, walk together. We are walking far. And this is an invitation for you to walk together with us.
OMNIA is on the cusp of something new. We are launching our campaign, Every Village a Peace Village,
which will make a huge difference in the lives of our sisters and
brothers in dire situations in Northeast Nigeria, Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh, where violent religious extremism takes a severe toll.
 As
you know, we equip religious leaders and people of faith to build
Interfaith Peacemaker Teams (IPTs). Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and
Christians are trained in the best practices of interreligious dialogue
and community organizing. They learn to transform their attitudes from
mistrust and fear to reconciliation and love of neighbor. Together they
build power so they can effectively address issues critical to their
communities. Today there are 71 IPTs in Nigeria’s Gombe State, 18 in Sri
Lanka and 15 in Bangladesh. I can tell you many amazing stories of
individual and community transformation.
Here’s one:
In
Northeast Nigeria, Christians feel especially vulnerable on Sundays
when they gather for church services. They worry about getting attacked
by Boko Haram, one of the most violent terrorist organizations in the
world. For over ten years now, they’ve been attacking not only the
Christian communities, but also peace-loving Muslims. Churches have
assigned young men of their congregations to provide security. They
stand at the gate and using metal detectors check worshippers for
explosives. When the service starts, they stand guard to protect those
who pray. They know that in case of a Boko Haram attack, they are the
first line of defense.
In the town of Nassarawa there’s an Interfaith Peacemaker Team
(IPT). The Imams of the IPT said to the Pastors, “It is not good that
your young men miss worship service on Sunday. They should be inside the
church, not outside. We will send Muslim young men to provide security
for you on Sunday mornings, so the Christian young men can go to
church.” The pastors not only accepted, they reciprocated. Today, Muslim
young men provide security at the churches, and Christian young men
provide security at the Mosque on Friday afternoons. “Before the OMNIA
training, we couldn’t even imagine this,” the imams and the pastors said
to me. “It is amazing that we have learned to trust each other.”
 This
is how the IPTs serve their communities. Rather than let extremists
divide them, they use the OMNIA skills to act together. They renovate
schools, repair roads, collaborate across religious lines to start
businesses, and keep peace during elections.
Can you imagine the transformation, when hundreds of such stories get
repeated in more and more villages in Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh?
That’s the result they long to see. “We are tired of the mistrust, the
conflict, and the violence,” they say. We need an IPT in every village. “Every Village a Peace Village” they clamor ... Again, thank you for walking together with us. As we join with Nigerians, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis and others, our walk together can secure a more just and peaceful future for all of us.
With peace and blessings!
Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana
President, OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership
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