OP KORS! graduates

Balay Mindanaw will conduct another set of peace courses for key community leaders, local government leaders and development workers this year. This time, 10 batches are being targeted and prepared to undergo this training.

As part of its new strategy of educating towards a culture of peace and thereby building constituency towards a mission of helping build peace in Mindanao, Balay Mindanaw continues to pursue this peace initiative by conducting comprehensive peace building courses for peace and development practitioners, dubbed as “OP KORS! Operation Peace Course.”

Each course consists of four modules which are fundamental for a peace builder in a community setting. Already, four batches of local leaders from selected barangays of the municipalities of Claveria, Balingasag, Lagonglong, Sugbongcogon and Kinoguitan and Gingoog City are set to take the courses this March, April, May and June. A total of 150 barangay captains and local community leaders are expected to participate in these trainings.

The Local Chief Executives of Misamis Oriental Eastern Towns (MISORET) Cluster have also requested Balay Mindanaw to conduct a similar training on peace building for them and other leaders in their respective municipalities in their quest for establishing peace zones in their areas.

Another session specially designed for 40 tribal leaders coming from the upland barangays is also set in May to highlight their indigenous ways of resolving conflict and their traditional culture of peace. There will also be another batch of peace course for development workers, now coming from several NGOs in Butuan, Iligan and in Misamis Oriental.

Advance courses related to peace will likewise be conducted and provided to the first batch of the peace course held last year. This will serve as follow up sessions coupled with sharing of reflections as well as realizations from experiences encountered in working in conflict and peace.

Balay Mindanaw is grateful for its partners and donors supporting these peace education efforts and to the general peace building work of Balay Mindanaw with the partner communities: CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICE, MISERIOR, GERMAN TECHNICAL COOPERATION, CORD-AID, GERMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICE and KONRAD ADENAUER FOUNDATION.