The 1st Burundi Peace Education Seminar opens the future of peace education in Burundi

The 1st Burundi Peace Education Seminar, hosted by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, was held on January 11, at Rehoboth School in Burundi Bujumbura.
A total of 22 people participated in the seminar, including the principals and teachers of the Rehoboth School, Le Dauphin, Lycée communal of Cashi and Ecole Oasis des Anges. The theme of the event was “Discounting the Pilot Training for the Peaceful Education of Burundi in 2019 and Sharing the plan for 2020.”

At the seminar, the three visions of HWPL peace education – ‘The Sanctity of life,’‘Loyalty and Filial Piety’ and ‘Co-existence and sustainability’, the performance of HWPL peace education, and the results of Burundi’s pilot peace education in 2019 – were shared.
It was followed by awarding performance of principals and peace teachers who contributed to performing and promoting peace education for the last semester. They shared what they felt while running peace education in 2019, and also the announcement of a pledge to implement peace education in 2020.

Since the 5th anniversary of HWPL World Peace Summit held in Burundi on September 7th in 2019, four schools have now signed MOUs to conduct pilot training once a week based on the textbook for HWPL’s peace education. As a result, five peace educators conducted peace education for over 250 students for a total of 40 times, and all students were trained as little messengers of peace.

“HWPL peace education serves as a global platform aimed at leaving peace as a legacy to future generations by raising the awe of building peace from citizens around the world and challenging threats from war and violence by promoting a culture of peace. Because all mankind is weak and imperfect, HWPL peace education teaches us how to understand and forgive others” said Hatungimana Liévain, a teacher of the Rehoboth School and Lycée communal of Cashi.

He also said, “My plan for this year 2020 is to work with an open heart in order to contribute to building my motherland Burundi into a peaceful country without civil or political wars through sowing in seeds of peace. I’m going to spread this culture of peace to neighbor schools that have not yet signed an MOU with HWPL. And we will work with HWPL with the main purpose of transforming this world into a World of peace to give as an inheritance to future generations.”

In response to the seminar, Emmanuel Ndayishimiye, the principal of Ecole Oasis des Anges, said, “We have agreed that peace is priceless and therefore, peace education is to be taken seriously in our schools.”

At this seminar, the participants discussed more systematic pilot education management measures for the implementation of peace education in 2020. Based on this, Burundi will expand the number of schools implementing peaceful education to a total of 10 in 2020 to provide peace education opportunities for more Burundi students.