Help for Hela peacebuilding initiatives

COMMUNITIES in Hela have received support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to carry out peacebuilding and restoration efforts for communities in Hela.
According to a statement from the IOM, the communities of Guala, Tigibi and Kikita 2, in Hela, recently launched their community peace for development Plan (CPDP).
The IOM said it was facilitating the development of the CPDPs through financial assistance from the United Nations peacebuilding fund.
“We are settled in this community after suffering from three conflicts that displaced several people and destroyed our properties,” Kikita 2 women’s representative Mary Tapo said.
“It is with great joy to receive support from various organisations to drive our peacebuilding and restoration efforts.”
Before developing the plans, IOM said it worked in partnership with the Hela government and the churches and identified that Guala, Tigibi, and Kikita 2 communities, who were affected by conflict and displacement, needed to nurture peace and development at the local level.
John Puni, the ward councillor for Kikita 2 said; “I am part of the CPDP work from the time it started here because I want our community to embrace peace and development. Our community needed a school, and we prioritised the construction of a classroom block in our plan.”
Constructed in Kikita 2 and with the support of women, men and youth who provided local resources, the newly built classroom offers a decent and safe learning space for the students.
“Children had to walk long distances to attend school and now no longer need to walk such long distances to go to school,” Puni said.