Peace Direct
Encyclopedia
Peace Direct is a charity
based in London
, England
which supports grassroots peacebuilders in areas of conflict. Peace Direct focuses on supporting grassroots peacebuilders who are local to the conflict and have a clear vision of what needs to be achieved. Peace Direct funds this work, promotes it and learns from it. Peace Direct is a member of the One World Network, which seeks to "promote sustainable development, social justice, and human rights."
and Carolyn Hayman in 2003. Elworthy previously founded the Oxford Research Group
and Hayman was Chief Executive at the Foyer Federation.
, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya
, and has given to projects in Sri Lanka
, Afghanistan
and Iraq
with their ‘Rapid Response’ programmes. The Champions projects provide core funding to groups that are committed to non-violence, have a track record, strategic ambition, a desire to communicate, and whose work fits with Peace Direct’s charitable aims. The Rapid Response Funds are managed by local committees and are used to respond quickly to emerging violence or opportunities in peace processes. Peace Direct is also responsible for the pioneering web-based project Insight on Conflict
Peace Direct promotes grassroots peacebuilding by bringing peace into the mainstream media. Peace Direct are working with photographer Ted Giffords, Getty Images
, BBC Radio 4
and the Virgin Group
to re-brand peace and seek out positive, active pictures that shout out loud what it is to be free of war. 7/7 survivor Gill Hicks has become the first Peace Direct ambassador; her viral video documenting the importance of peace to her has been seen by 10,000 people around the world and can be viewed on YouTube
.
Peace activists whose skills have been developed in violent conflict have much to teach the west about resolving conflict, not least through their conviction that things can change. In Autumn 2005 Peace Direct brought Muslim peace activists from Kenya and Palestine to work with young British Muslims to explore how they could fulfil their potential within British society. Every month Peace Direct send out Practical Peace Newsletters sharing ideas and suggestions with their supporters about how to make practical changes towards a more peaceful future.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which supports grassroots peacebuilders in areas of conflict. Peace Direct focuses on supporting grassroots peacebuilders who are local to the conflict and have a clear vision of what needs to be achieved. Peace Direct funds this work, promotes it and learns from it. Peace Direct is a member of the One World Network, which seeks to "promote sustainable development, social justice, and human rights."
Origins
Peace Directhttp://www.peacedirect.org was founded by Scilla ElworthyScilla Elworthy
Scilla Elworthy is the founder of the Oxford Research Group, a non-governmental organisation which seeks to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics...
and Carolyn Hayman in 2003. Elworthy previously founded the Oxford Research Group
Oxford Research Group
Oxford Research Group is an independent non-governmental organisation and UK registered charity, which works together with others to promote a more sustainable approach to security for the UK and the world. In April 2005, ORG was named one of the top 20 think tanks in the UK by The Independent...
and Hayman was Chief Executive at the Foyer Federation.
Projects
Peace Direct funds 'Champions' projects in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, and has given to projects in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
with their ‘Rapid Response’ programmes. The Champions projects provide core funding to groups that are committed to non-violence, have a track record, strategic ambition, a desire to communicate, and whose work fits with Peace Direct’s charitable aims. The Rapid Response Funds are managed by local committees and are used to respond quickly to emerging violence or opportunities in peace processes. Peace Direct is also responsible for the pioneering web-based project Insight on Conflict
Peace Direct promotes grassroots peacebuilding by bringing peace into the mainstream media. Peace Direct are working with photographer Ted Giffords, Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage...
, BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
and the Virgin Group
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
to re-brand peace and seek out positive, active pictures that shout out loud what it is to be free of war. 7/7 survivor Gill Hicks has become the first Peace Direct ambassador; her viral video documenting the importance of peace to her has been seen by 10,000 people around the world and can be viewed on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Peace activists whose skills have been developed in violent conflict have much to teach the west about resolving conflict, not least through their conviction that things can change. In Autumn 2005 Peace Direct brought Muslim peace activists from Kenya and Palestine to work with young British Muslims to explore how they could fulfil their potential within British society. Every month Peace Direct send out Practical Peace Newsletters sharing ideas and suggestions with their supporters about how to make practical changes towards a more peaceful future.
Patrons
- Dekha Ibrahim Abdi
- Dame Margaret Anstee
- Dame Anita RoddickAnita RoddickDame Anita Roddick, DBE was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, a cosmetics company producing and retailing beauty products that shaped ethical consumerism...
- Mark RylanceMark RylanceMark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
- Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan