Youth in Burundi Come Together for Peace

|PIC1|Youth from across the six dioceses of the Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi came together last week to take part in a special training programme on peace-building, justice, truth and reconciliation in a post-conflict context.

The weeklong training event was part of a wider project aimed at securing long-term peace in Burundi by teaching the younger generations how to rebuild relations of respect and mutual trust among one another.

“Burundi needs a godly, educated generation of leaders to proclaim the Gospel and to influence decision–making in the Church and the nation,” said one participant in the training, read an Anglican Communion statement.

The training was made possible by financial support from the World Council of Churches, with organisers hoping the experience would encourage the young participants to make a commitment to building peace both on the individual as well as the community level.

|TOP|The young people who ranged in age from 15 to 25 were able to contemplate some of the most important current issues facing Burundi at this moment in time and enjoy talks from key speakers at the event which included the Archbishop of Burundi, the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi, and a host of other bishops from across the country.

The training encouraged the participants to commit themselves to the process of transformation in Burundi particularly as Christian youth, through realising the Church as one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church without frontiers.

The training programme also urged that families and communities should be transformed through changed attitudes and positive relationships.

“In the country transformation would occur as young people mobilised themselves to use their energies, resources, education, dreams, and hopes in peace-building, restoration of culture and tradition, reconciliation, and the pursuit of truth and justice,” read the Anglican Communion statement.

The young participants were encouraged to make responsible decisions, to practise discipline, and to be determined in the pursuit of goals. Considerations are already being taken as to whether to run more peace-building training weeks following the overwhelming success of the event.