About People for Peace in Africa

History of the organization People for Peace in Africa (PPA) is a voluntary ecumenical gathering of people committed to initiating and supporting peace activities throughout Africa. PPA came into being in 1989 when peace talks were being held in Nairobi between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A); Ethiopian Government and Eritrea People’s Liberation Front (EPLF); and Mozambique Government and Renamo.

Since then, numerous men and women have come together regularly to co-ordinate their efforts in promoting peace.  To date, their activities have focused on the following areas:

It is also noteworthy that the emerging trends indicate that conflicts are currently being caused by non-traditional causal factors so that even if early warning systems were developed, such as systems must be reviewed on a continuous basis so that the detecting mechanisms are adjusted to fit new flash points.

During the period PPA has been in existence, a number of constrains have seriously impinged on its work, and undermined the ability to have sustainable peace.  These constraints include:

Women who are the majority of survivors in conflict situations are not involved in peace building and reconciliation efforts, both at local and international levels.

The ordinary citizens in areas of conflict are rarely involved or participate in any meaningful decisions affecting their lives.  Community or national resources are allocated by prioritizing military expediencies leaving the people to basically survive on their own devises.  This has seriously undermined community’s abilities to develop coping mechanisms. 

In most cases, the dependency on relief supplies is as a result of failed opportunities to plant crops, destroyed livestock and other livelihood opportunities.

HIV/AIDS has devastating effects in conflict areas, because the community’s ability to access health care services, and the influence of soldiers and other combatants, raping of women etc are all major contributory factors.

Lack of access to financial services in areas of conflict is usually a great challenge to long-term reconstruction and investment.

Conflict generates insecurity, which in turn impedes development.  The introduction and use of sophisticated weapons by warring groups, who previously used rudimentary weapons, hampers investment in any form of long term productive activities.  This gives the powerful an upper hand since they can manipulate opinion and at times will deny access to any emergency relief to the most vulnerable groups.

Warring factions are usually isolated due to the insecurity created and denial of access to humanitarian organizations.  This isolation makes the weaker of the groups more hopeless and at the mercy of external forces whose motivation is the supply of arms or illegal trade in natural resources.

PPA has been one of the most courageous Peace groups in the continent that his work has been recognized by the international groups-1n i996 it receives the Prestigious  award from the Maryknoll fathers and Brothers known as “Maryknoll Mission Award 1996 United states” again 1n 1995 worn the Peace prize from the Germany known as “Shaloom Prize in the past it has been named for Martin Luther Prize.

  Mission Statement

  PPA Vision Statement