By HWPL
Forging Paths to Peace : HWPL Peace Camp Unites with 14 Schools and Organizations in Burkina Faso for Historic MOU and MOA Signing HWPL visited Burkina Faso from April 1 to April 6 to implement peace education. Following the signing of MOUs with 14 schools prior to the visit, HWPL signed with 3 additional schools in Ouagadougou during this visit.
HWPL organized this event to promote peace education in Burkina Faso, a region long plagued by conflicts in Africa, aiming to instill a passion for peace education in the hearts of citizens and achieve sustainable peace. From April 2nd to 5th, Peace Camps were conducted at Tampouy C School, Nioko 2B School, and Lycee municipal Bambata School in Ouagadougou, during which MOUs were signed with each school.
During this period, meetings were also held with the Secretary-General of UNESCO, the Minister of Education, and the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education. In the meeting on the 2nd day, UNESCO expressed its desire to collaborate with HWPL to implement peace education. Furthermore, UNESCO mentioned the necessity of obtaining approval from the Education Ministry before implementing education initiatives, proposing continued meetings with Education Ministry officials.
HWPL proposed signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Education Ministry for nationwide peace education during the meeting with the Education Ministry. The Education Ministry stated, “Such education is needed for the children of Burkina Faso, and since our curriculum already includes content on peace, integrating peace education would likely generate positive synergy.” HWPL plans to formally propose cooperation with the Ministry of Education to implement peace education through formal procedures.
According to news from The Gudian media outlet, nearly 2 million people became refugees in Burkina Faso due to conflicts that spread from Mali at the end of 2016. An estimated 800,000 are believed to be living under blockade by the Islamist militants, who have reportedly attacked water supplies and forced school closures. UNICEF reports that around one million are still unable to go to school due to violence and insecurity. Emilie Roye, UNICEF’s education officer in Burkina Faso, stated, “Some 6,000 are still schools closed, which represents around 25 percent of the country’s schools,” In relation to this situation, HWPL introduced peace camps during the event to achieve sustainable peace in Burkina Faso and explained the importance of peace. HWPL conducts peace educator training and peace camps worldwide to foster peace-oriented citizens. Peace teacher training helps educators learn HWPL’s 12 peace education curricula, enabling them to teach students about peace.
Peace camps provide opportunities to experience peace through fun activities, teaching participants what peace is and how to bring peace into daily life. At Tampouy C School and Nioko 2B School, students learned peace dances and danced to songs of peace. At Lycee municipal Bambata School, students experienced cooperation through a cooperative game called “We Are One Game.” As a common activity, they learned about gratitude, the most fundamental of HWPL’s peace values, and then wrote thank-you letters to their teachers. They also wrote commitments on paper handprints and attached them to heart-shaped cards that read “I Love Peace,” as part of the “Hand Peace Commitment Writing” activity. Additionally, they also briefly explained the spirit of peace and the 12 aspects of peace education, and shared plans for future online peace educator training.
Ouedraogo Risnata, who attended the event, said, “The Peace Camp is a fascinating initiative, as it immerses participants in the culture of peace from its very foundation. This approach effectively mitigates potential conflicts that might otherwise threaten social stability.” Adama Yago, who attended the event, said, “The arrival of this much-needed camp in our country is greatly appreciated, particularly considering the challenging circumstances we currently face. We dare to envision that by instilling the values of love within the hearts of our children, we will ultimately harvest peace as the fruit of our endeavours—something our nation desperately requires.” Schools that signed MOUs will implement HWPL’s peace education program. HWPL will plans to continue to conduct peace education programs in Burkina Faso, fostering a culture of peace dissemination, and will maintain ongoing cooperation with local organisations and schools through MOAs and MOUs.
