The Gift of Peace

by Lamont Koerner

Ever wondered how you can really make a difference in this beautiful, but broken, fabulous, yet fragile, and fragmented world? I have a suggestion. Sow the seeds of Peace among the rising generations.

This past October, I had the privilege of traveling with the Mwangaza Leadership team for a week to two secondary schools as they led seminars that are part of the Safe Schools training. I observed many powerful and poignant interactions between the team, students, and teachers. But the most inspiring was the Peace Club training at Kipok Secondary School, a girls’ school operated by the Tanzanian government.

When we arrived at the school on a Friday afternoon, 77 Form III students and their teacher/mentors were gathered for training. As impressive as this was, I was even more amazed by the sight of 176 Form I students waiting for the Mwangaza training team when we arrived on Saturday morning! The head of school informed us that the Peace Clubs were the most popular groups at this school of approximately 900 students.

Students were sorted into small groups of five to six. Together, they had to think through a “case statement” of a situation. The groups regathered in stages until they were once again one large group. A few students were invited to tell the whole group what they had been learning. Each spoke with confidence and passion and others asked many questions. It was a fabulous discussion. Then, as the training drew to a close, one student led the others in the Peace Club song, the refrain of which is, “So, peace begins with me, then to you, then to all, then to everyone!” The passion in these young women’s voices, so strong and clear, along with the powerful words of this Peace anthem was enough to make my eyes wet. 

The Mwangaza Leadership team focuses their work among Lutheran secondary schools. But the government has invited them to come to three of their schools. As their work of in these schools has been evaluated by government officials, the result has been an enthusiastic invitation from the government to “come to all of their schools with this training.” But there is a problem. Mwangaza doesn’t currently have the capacity to respond to this opportunity.

Still wondering how you can truly make a difference in this world? You can give a gift that will equip more leaders to continue to sow the seeds of Peace in the rising generations in Tanzania. Your gift in support of the work of Mwangaza is truly a transformative gift that will keep on giving!

Peace be with you!

Lamont Koerner, Friends of Mwangaza board member