2023 Local Peacebuilder Award
Washington, D.C., USA. – The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), a leading nonpartisan global peacebuilding network of 190+ members working in 181 countries to end violent conflict and build sustainable peace, is thrilled to announce the winners of the annual Local Peacebuilder Award: the African Coaching Network (ACN) and The Sphere Women's Association NGO (Sphere) in Ukraine. This award recognizes locally-led peacebuilding organizations doing extraordinary work to prevent and reduce violent conflict and build sustainable peace.
ACN was established in 2017 and is made up of social movement coaches from 11 different African countries that provide critical embedded training to nonviolent movements and networks across the African continent. The organization equips these movements comprised of ordinary citizens with the skills to effectively organize themselves, strategically plan, and maintain nonviolent discipline to achieve successful campaigns that are vital for social and political changes.
Sphere, an NGO founded by women, works on human rights and gender equality and, since the war in Ukraine, has expanded to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance. Since 2008, they have strongly advocated for LGBTIQ+ and women's inclusion and work on direct case management for abuse and trauma survivors by providing mental health and psychosocial support services. Sphere also strongly advocates for policy change and education on the need for greater identity and gender inclusion.
Scovia Arinaitwe, a Movement Building Trainer Coach with ACN, stated “ACN receives this award with much gratitude on behalf of the many local actors working to address the struggles in Africa. Our work comprises much-needed support to different movements and networks pushing social movement causes. We provide critical support through experiential training and coaching, and we are deeply encouraged but also reminded today of the sacrifices and courage of those we work with daily. We remain committed as a network to support African movements working for change and the rule of law while maintaining nonviolent approaches.”
Ruslana Hnatchenko, Fundraising Manager at Sphere, stated “the team of Sphere is extremely glad and inspired by receiving AfP’s Local Peacebuilder Award. We are proud to be recognized for our work for over 15 years for women and the LGBTQI+ community in Ukraine. This award proves to us that the eyes of the world are on Ukraine, and even though our work is local and grassroots-based, we know the changes we are creating are seen far beyond Ukraine. We also know that during these difficult times, we are a crucial part of Kharkiv's resistance to the Russian invasion, which goes far beyond the battlefield, impacting our way of life and threatening our democracy.”
Liz Hume, Executive Director of AfP, stated, "We are thrilled to honor extraordinary and courageous grassroots organizations such as ACN and Sphere working to solve some of the most difficult grievances driving conflict and instability in their communities. They risk their lives every day in Ukraine and across the continent of Africa, and we are grateful to them for their leadership and moral compass at a time when violent conflict and fragility are increasing globally. Additionally, through their work, we learn how to address grievances causing instability and backsliding democracy in the U.S. and Europe. We are indebted to them and all other local grassroots worldwide working to prevent and reduce violent conflict and build sustainable peace."
About AfP:
The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP)—named the “number one influencer and change agent” among peacebuilding institutions worldwide—is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit, nonpartisan network of 190+ organizations working in 181 countries to prevent conflict, reduce violence, improve lives, and build sustainable peace. At our core, AfP cultivates a network to strengthen and advance the peacebuilding field, enabling peacebuilding organizations to achieve greater impact—tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.