Our alumni have often been deeply impacted, both personally and professionally, by their CJP experience. Too often they must go to extreme lengths and surmount incredible odds to join CJP for their studies. While here, members of our community build strong bonds.
Hero Anwar Brzw, MA ‘09, showed the power of that connection. In the fall of 2015, she drove three hours from her home in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, to Erbil, the capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan, to visit with Executive Director Daryl Byler and Women’s Peacebuilding Leadership Program Director Leda Werner. A native of Iraq, Hero is deputy director of REACH, a large NGO in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.
Hero introduced Daryl and Leda to the country director of Oxfam and urged him to send some of his staff to the Summer Peacebuilding Institute. She described CJP as unique because of its emphasis on per- sonal formation and community building, in addition to strong conflict analysis and peacebuilding training.
Before they left for the airport, Hero handed Daryl an envelope with $1,000 for CJP. She said that she hoped every CJP alumnus would start giving $100 per month.
I spoke to Hero via Skype in May of 2016 to hear more about her CJP experience and thank her for this generous gift. She shared with me that her time at CJP was transformative, a turning point in her life. She says she now believes that each individual has the power to make change in our society, and peace is not a distant dream but it can be a reality. “CJP is a place of hope. Students who have experienced violence, trauma and discrimination begin to rebuild and take steps forward to enjoy life again. I wish everyone who lives in Iraq could come here; the country would be a very different place.”
For Hero, her donation to CJP was a small way to show her gratitude for all that CJP did for her. “Everyone can do this. Maybe people just need a reminder. I’m happy to remind them: find a way to give back!”
Your gifts to CJP make it possible for these transformative journeys to begin and take shape. I invite you to consider supporting CJP by becoming a monthly or annual donor. With a gift of $84/month or $1,000/year, you will join our Partners in Peacebuilding giving level.