Author: Goldin Institute

Partnership with Arigatou International Continues Effective Peacebuilding   Because we remain committed to the issue of child soldier prevention and reintegration, our project work often exposes us to the disturbing reality of youth participation in militant violence. East Africa in particular has suffered from a growing problem of terrorist groups focusing their recruitment efforts on the… Continue reading Partners in East Africa Build Community Strategies to Fight Violence

Over the weekend, our global associate in the Philippines, Dr. Susana Anayatin celebrated Earth Day 2015 by leading a series of trainings on Environmental Protection and Cultural Sensitivity to over 129 soldiers of the 61D Division Training School, Philippine Army. The partnership that Susana has created with this Division is key to ongoing efforts in… Continue reading Celebrating Earth Day 2015

Working towards the peaceful evolution of their country, two Uganda-based organizations, the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) and the Interreligious Council of Uganda (IRCU) worked closely to conduct two workshops using the ESPERE Methodology in January and early February 2015 in the District of Gulu. The facilitators for the workshops had the benefit of… Continue reading Uganda: Forgiveness and Change Starts At Home

LRA commander’s trial brings debate on what justice should look like Because so much of our project work has been centered in Uganda and establishing a platform for child soldier reintegration with our partners, we have been monitoring the story of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) commander Dominic Ongwen and his pending trial since turning… Continue reading Victims and perpetrators often blurred when it comes to child soldiers

Water Crisis Declared in Mindanao Officials of Butuan City in restive Mindanao have declared an unprecedented “state of water crisis” after more than a month of severe water shortage that has affected the lives of the more than 200,000 residents. As the story reports, this crisis was brought on by the last natural disaster that… Continue reading Water on our Mind

New Generation of Leaders in Colombia Offers Hope This story about the emerging leaders in Colombia, reminded us of how the best opportunities for ending the conflict—and healing wounds left behind—lies with young people who have lived through the violence and best understand the solutions.  As the story reports on one group in particular making… Continue reading Youth Movement Key to Ending Conflict in Colombia

Pope Francis Supports the Peace Process in Mindanao Although scheduling constraints prevented a direct visit to the Southern Philippines, Pope Francis made it clear that he endorses the ongoing peace process between the government and the Philippines’ largest organized armed group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).   This came as very good news to… Continue reading Pope Francis and the Philippines

Six New Studies Point to the Inflated-Promise of Microcredit in Transforming the Lives of the Poor We just became aware of this report, which compiles comprehensive research critical of the standard microcredit model.   Economist Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a co-founder and co-director of J-PAL, co-author of the India and Morocco… Continue reading Studies Show Microcredit Shortcomings

There has been a flurry of reports since the Lord’s Resistence Army commander Dominic Ongwen surrendered to stand trial for war crimes during his time with the the LRA. This story suggests that Ongwen surrendered at least in part, to avoid being killed while still at large in the bush. More background on the personal… Continue reading Latest on Surrendering LRA Commander

As we begin the new year, we take notice of fresh reports coming out of the Central African Republic (CAR) on the increase of child soldiers being recruited into the armed conflict during the last calendar year. Both this story from the Reuters Foundation and this one from Humanosphere, tell the concern of the year-long… Continue reading Alarming Numbers from Central Africa