Senatorial candidates debate the issues of the day at the University of Liberia in Monrovia (photos: Lindsay Forslund)
By Lindsay Forslund
It was 9am but the heat was already overwhelming and the energy and excitement on campus palpable. I arrived an hour early to the senatorial debates that were being held at the University of Liberia, in hopes to interview some students around their feelings on the role of civil society and media in the electoral process.
The senatorial debates are part of an ongoing effort by the ECC (Election Coordinating Committee), which is being chaired by Search for Common Ground. The ECC is a civil society platform that was created to monitor Liberia’s 2011 Electoral cycle. The aim of the organization is to promote credible elections and increase public confidence in democracy.
With the second democratic elections in Liberia since the end the fourteen-year civil war, set for this coming Tuesday October 11, 2011, the country is charged with a powerful political energy. You cannot get into a taxi, pass a street vendor or sit down at a restaurant without overhearing an animated conversation about the political campaigning and processes that have been taking place since the referendum in August. read more…
Former child soldiers forming a dance troop to work through their Trauma.
Today, Search for Common Ground hosted a discussion with the Washington Network on Children and Armed Conflict (WNCAC) on Participatory Approaches to Girls’ Reintegration – Lessons from Participatory Action Research in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and northern Uganda.
A recent research project with a highly participatory process was described by the two speakers, Susan McKay and Mike Wessels. Susan McKay is Professor of Gender and Women’s at the University of Wyoming Mike Wessels is Professor at Columbia University in the Program on Forced Migration and Health.
McKay and Wessels with their team have recently conducted a research project on community-based reintegration support for girl mothers and other vulnerable girls returning from armed forces or armed groups to their communities in Northern Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The core principal in this project was to include the girls and listen to their ideas, visions and needs. Working with different donors and agencies from the West as well as in-country academics and NGOs the research team surveyed different projects in several communities and focused on how the lives of the girls changed once they were able to participate in a project.
The Common Ground Awards are coming up (October 27) and if you’d like to come get your tickets now!
Leading up to the event we’ll be showcasing one of our exceptional 2011 awardees each week and today the spotlight is on Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan.
For over three decades, Her Majesty Queen Noor has been engaged in peacebuilding, human rights activism, women empowerment and cross-cultural understanding. She is actively involved in a number of international organizations dealing with global peace-building and conflict recovery and has served as an expert adviser to the United Nations on these issues.
She was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby in Washington, DC on August 23, 1951 to an Arab-American family distinguished for its public service. After receiving a B.A. in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University in 1974 as a member of its first coeducational class, she worked on international urban planning and design projects in Australia, Iran, the United States and Jordan.
Queen Noor’s work in the Arab world has concentrated on national and regional human security issues. Since 1979, the initiatives of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation and more recently, the King Hussein Foundation, have transformed development thinking in Jordan and the Middle East through pioneering programs in the areas of education, sustainable development women’s empowerment, microfinance, human rights, health, and cross-cultural understanding.
Women Peacemakers Receive the Nobel Peace Prize!
Left, Leymah Gbowee in September; center: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, right: Tawakul Karman (photo NYTimes))
Search for Common Ground congratulations this year’s Nobel Peace prize recipients, Leymah Gbowee, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakul Karman, who have been honored for “their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights.” In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, most recipients have been men, but this year’s selection is an acknowledgement that true peace cannot be attained without gender equality and full participation from women. Thorbjoern Jaglan, the chairman of the Nobel Committee said, “We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society.” read more…
SFCG is partnering with Initiatives of Change (IoC) and other organizations to bring The Trust Factor to Washington, DC. The Trust Factor is a series of events that demonstrate how people from diverse backgrounds have built trust and are collaborating to solve problems in their communities, our nation, and even internationally. The series deals with trust building initiatives and organizations that work on this topic and targets social justice issues. Many of the events revolve around faith discussions, civic participation and racial healing.
It will take place from Monday, October 10 to Saturday, October 15 in various locations throughout Washington, DC.
A schedule of events can be found on the IoC website. There is no fee to register but a $20 donation can help support more projects like the Trust Factor in the future.
Important and interesting conversations are happening, add your voice to the discussion!
Mo Ibrahim created his foundation to support good governance in Africa.
The Common Ground Awards are coming up (October 27) and if you’d like to come get your tickets now!
Leading up to the event we’ll be showcasing one of our exceptional 2011 awardees each week and today the spotlight is on the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
In 2006, Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-British philanthropist founded the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. He established his own corporation, Celtel, a major mobile phone operator in Africa and became a successful entrepreneur. His heart’s passion, however, has been social uplift in his continent of origin. Ibrahim has continuously championed social change through the alleviation of poverty and good governance from African leaders. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation supports and nurtures strong leadership in Africa. read more…
