Speeches Shim
Internal conflict left the town of Menaka in northern Mali occupied by a succession of rebel groups for three years. It also left them without electricity.
Women from five cities in western Côte d'Ivoire took to the streets last fall to promote harmony before the October presidential election. Their marches, which involved hundreds of participating women and thousands of spectators, conveyed a central strong message: Regardless of people’s political allegiances, the region is committed to peace.
In Côte d'Ivoire, soccer is a national obsession—as well as a way to educate youth about avoiding conflict and how to take part in peaceful elections.
The escalation of violence after the disputed 2010 presidential elections led to the worst humanitarian crisis in Côte d'Ivoire's history. Violence devastated families across the country, with an estimated 3,000 deaths, numerous arrests and hundreds of thousands forced to flee as internally displaced persons or refugees.
The Peace Through Sports project, led by the American University of Nigeria with support from USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, has been hosting a six-month sports tournament to recognize and build youth self-esteem, resilience and tolerance. Youth participants, diverse in geographic origin, attend local secondary schools or were identified as vulnerable to violent extremism. Over 1,500 local youth from the northeastern state of Adamawa have been competing on 104 soccer, basketball and volleyball teams.
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