On May 28, 2022, 194 peace educators participants from Ghana, and Nigeria graduated “HWPL Peace Development Forum: Graduation Ceremony of Peace Educator Empowerment Training in Western Africa”. They have participated in Peace Educator Empowerment Training for 8 weeks to solve the problem of lack of moral education and social activities caused by COVID19 and to teach peace to young people living in an era of war.
Last 2021, 234 graduates from 104 organizations and institutions graduated HWPL Peace Educator Empowerment Training and they implemented peace education for 101 sessions at 49 organizations and institutions in Nigerian and Ghana. Among those, 115 graduates were appointed as official HWPL Peace Educators. HWPL Peace Education aims to teach not only students but students the right values of peace, and to train them as citizens of peace.
Likewise, after the graduates from various classes, including civic groups, universities, educational institutions, and media passed online tests and completed within the courses for 8 weeks,they will conduct peace education in Western Africa.
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), which hosted the event, was founded in 2013, is an international peace NGO working globally to realize peace and cessation of war, a common goal of the global community. HWPL is associated with the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) and in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The event began with an opening address of Mr. Jeong Hoi Hyeon, Chief Branch Manager of the HWPL Southern Seoul & Gyeonggi Branch to celebrate the graduates, followed by presentations of excellent graduates’ impressions on education, and plans of Western Africa Peace Initiative.
During the opening address, “During this peace education, We are witnessing peace education being conducted everywhere. We have seen for ourselves, that if we do it, peace will truly be achieved. I am confident that the students who receive peace education will acquire your tireless volunteerism and the spirit of devotion, and in this way, Western Africa will emerge as a region of peace devoid of tears, sufferings, or discrimination.“, announced Jeong Hoi Hyeon, Chief Branch Manager of the HWPL Southern Seoul & Gyeonggi Branch.
Ottih Rosecolette Ihuoma, Program officer of Partners for Peace in the Niger Delta (P4P), one of the excellent graduate stressed “I am now mapping and collaborating with 6 government schools. I hope I can eventually show the results of peace education what we have done and how wider the message of peace can be spread to the government of Rivers to introduce HWPL Peace Education into State Education Curriculum.“
Jenny La from HWPL Africa who is in charge of peace education said “HWPL Africa team will implement a large-scale of MOU signing ceremony with the organizations or institutions that hope to work for building peace in Africa and gather successful cases of Peace Education into a promotion material and send it to government bodies to urge their participation. Furthermore, we will introduce HWPL Peace Education into State Education Curriculum to achieve sustainable peace and see the culture of peace and commemorate peace together with the establishment of a Peace Monument in Africa.”
Meanwhile, HWPL has signed MOUs with 242 institutions and schools around the world, and MOAs have been signed with 13 countries to prepare for peace education at a governmental level. HWPL Peace education has been conducted in Western Africa for the second time this year along with last year through “Peace Educator Empowerment Training”, and more than 160 program proposals were submitted by the participants which will be further expanded and implemented in the second half of the year.