MasterPeace Clubs

The Philippines is a nation of 7,107 individual islands, but geography is not the only thing separating the citizens of this beautiful country. On the island of Mindanao, religious, tribal and political conflict is widespread. It is here on Mandanoa that Primitivo III Ragandang has boldly chosen to initiate the first MasterPeace Club in the Philippines.

We asked Primitivo what led him to dedicate himself to peace-building. He answered, “Growing up, working and studying on the most war-ridden island in the Philippines might explain my desire to get involved in peace building. For some time, I have longed for an organization that would advocate peace through youth mobilization. MasterPeace is the actualization of that longing.” The first MasterPeace Club in the Philippines is hosted at the Tagoloan Community College where Primitivo is an instructor in political science.

The members of MasterPeace in the Philippines have wasted no time coming up with innovative and exciting ways to promote the International Day of Peace on September 21. There were three main pillars of their celebration. The first is called “ReciPeace” – a competition in which students prepared creative international recipes to promote the dual concept of peace and nutrition. Another activity was “RocKalinaw” – a concert of progressive music that will capture the attention of the youth and promote the idea of peace. And finally, the “Peaceturesque” competition showcased some of the community’s finest photographers as they try to capture local photos that encapsulate the message of peace. 

In the picture above, you can see Primitivo holding a sign that reads “Peace is not just the absence of war, but it is the presence of intercultural understanding towards a united and international cooperation and a sustainable development.” The Peace Day Celebration at Tagoloan Community College was a tremendous effort to create those elements of a true peace. Primitivo sums it up nicely when he says, “I am a Filipino. I will do this for my beloved country. But I am also a citizen on Earth. I will do this for the entire community.” 

MasterPeace Uganda led by a true peace hero. Moses Kyamakya lost his brother to the Allied Democratic Forces rebel group in Uganda when they attacked his home town in 1996. In his own words, the attack “left homes and property destroyed, lives lost, children orphaned and homeless. Many youth dropped out of school, their future compromised, and girls were forced into early marriages and unwanted pregnancies, all in the name of armed conflict.”

In an inspiring display of compassion and positivity, Moses has used this personal experience not as a spring board for violent retaliation, but as motivation for committing his life to peace building and conflict prevention. MasterPeace is honored to embrace this outstanding individual as the National Coordinator of our first official MasterPeace Club – MasterPeace Uganda.

“I am a peace loving citizen, committed to community peace building; a human rights activist who believes in connectivity, collaboration, innovation, positivity and walking the talk,” says Moses. With an attitude like that, how could we resist partnering with Moses and his network of Ugandan peace makers? For the past three years, Moses has worked as head of Ray of Hope Africa (www.rayofhope-africa.org), which conducts community peace building activities like community dialogue, conflict resolution workshops, and awarding peace building prizes to make peace happen in Uganda. To create his MasterPeace in Uganda, Moses and the rest of the MasterPeace Uganda team have plans to reach out to individual households and villages with conflict resolution training for daily life. They are collaborating with other NGO’s and government institutions to spread the message, and co-creating dialogue and reconciliation with community partners. The global MasterPeace Community is really looking forward to celebrating the International Day of Peace with MasterPeace Uganda and many other MasterPeacers around the world on September 21st!

Uganda is not the only country involved in the just do it campaign for peace. Peace Day Celebrations and MasterPeace Clubs are in the works for MasterPeace in Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Colombia, United States of America, the Netherlands, Egypt and many more to come soon. All of these countries and more came together on this September 21st to speak with one voice for the creation of peace. We have enjoyed so much working with all of the soon to be National Coordinators in those countries and hearing their amazing ideas for community projects that are going to make a tangible impact for peace in our world.