Neem Foundation in collaboration with Karuna Centre for Peace building has sensitized key stakeholders drawn from vulnerable communities in Kaduna on peaceful coexistence.
The District Liaison Officer, Neem Foundation, Aliyu Muhammed at the meeting in Kaduna explained that, the objective of the inter state stakeholders forum was to provide a platform for community members using the protecting our community initiative components or structures to mitigate conflicts.
Aliyu further said, the forum is geared towards enlightening stakeholders on the need to build resilience in communities by fighting their common enemy which is conflict before it results to violence.
“This forum will enable stakeholders discuss peculiar challenges that have hindered the successes of Reflective Structured Dialogue RSD and Protecting Our Community Initiative components in mitigating conflicts in implementing communities thereby suggesting possible solutions going forward.”
A participant at the meeting, the District Head Of Kufana Chiefdom in Kajuru, Titus Dauda said, the coming of Neem foundation to their community has given him the room to discharge his responsibility particularly on how to solve communal crisis.
Another participant, Reverend James Ganga explained that they have been exposed to various ways they could come as community and religious leaders to play a major role in achieving peaceful coexistence in their communities.
The team leader of Hope for the Village Child foundation, Benjamin George while urging on the need to involve other community based organisations also recommended inclusion of youths through reviving the peace clubs in schools.
He said, this would imbibe in them the importance of living in peace with one another from the grassroot.
The forum had in attendance 43 participants drawn from Sabon-Tasha, Maraban-Rido, Kujama, Kasuwan-Magani, Kajuru and Kufana, all within Kaduna state.
