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The zivik Projects

Portraits and reports

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Portrait of a young, smiling woman with long brown hair.

The Fearless

By Nathanael Häfner

Pamela Capizzi advocates for human rights in Burundi. Her organisation TRIAL International aims to create legal precedents for the victims of torture and repression. Not an easy task in war-torn Burundi, especially since she has been unable to enter the country for almost a decade. But Capizzi remains optimistic.

Blog

The Called One

By Nathanael Häfner

Dr Nirmala KC lives for the people of Nepal. For more than 30 years, the NGO researcher and activist has been committed to fostering dialogue and gender justice in Nepal. The caste system continues to shape the Himalayan country, with women still facing a lack of equal opportunities. With theatre plays, Nirmala KC and the NGO Pro Public have made it their task to build bridges between once hostile castes.

Blog

The Ambitious One

By Annika Stricker

As director of the Nepalese NGO Nagarik Aawaz, Dr Susan Risal advocates for justice and the mental well-being of women who have suffered abuse during Nepal’s civil war. To her, peace work is not just a job like any other, it’s a matter of individual responsibility.

Blog

The Aspiring

By Lea Otremba

Nerima Wako has high hopes for a politicised, young generation in Kenya. Working for the organisation Siasa Place, she motivates young people to get involved in politics and to contribute to shaping a peaceful Kenyan society.

Blog

The Incorruptibles

By Inga Zoller

Abeer Madanat and Dr Sanaa Al Awamleh are wholeheartedly committed to democracy and incorruptibility, to say nothing of the rights of Jordanian society. The two raise awareness of democratic values and integrity among young people in particular, as they are the future of the country. They do this together with Rasheed (Transparency International-Jordan), a non-profit organisation that has been making an important contribution to fighting corruption in Jordan since 2014.

Blog

Nkiru Uzodi 2021 © H.-G. Throm

The Realist

By Lea Otremba

Nkiru Uzodi works tirelessly for the realisation of women's rights in Nigeria. Together with the non-governmental organisation PLAC, she is interested in supporting the Nigerian peace process.

Blog

The Boxer

By Ulugbek Nurumbetov und Olga Statnaia

For years, Institute for Peace and Development (IPD) has been dedicating its activities to overcoming polarisation and violence in Kyrgyz society through interactive game-based methods. The president of IPD, Ulugbek Nurumbetov, developed with colleagues the project “Peace Clubs” which teaches young people crucial social skills and promotes a responsible and active generation, to build a new inclusive and peaceful Kyrgyzstan.

Blog

Goce Todoroski, 2021 Prilep © Oliver Angeleski

The Motivator and Mentor

By Goce Todoroski and Robert Ghazinyan

The civil rights activist Goce Todoroski is founder and Director of the organisation CCI and empowers with CCI young people to politically engage on a local level.

Blog

Ibrahim Issa, Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories 2020 ©Mareike Lauken

The Builder of the Future

By Dr. Judith Poppe

Ibrahim Issa runs an extraordinary school where he prepares Palestinian students for the peace of the future. Actually, other things were planned for him, but it turned out that it is exactly him who is needed there.

Blog

Christina Foerch-Saab, Ziad Saab 2020 ©H.-G. Throm

The Journalist and the Ex-Combatant

By Christina Foerch-Saab and Sandra Cichos

The Lebanese organisation "Fighters for Peace" has been campaigning for peace, reconciliation and coming to terms with the civil war since 2015. The founding members include former fighters such as Ziad Saab and the German media worker Christina Foerch-Saab.

Blog

Hagit Ofran, Israel 2020 ©Mareike Lauken

The Candleholder

By Dr. Judith Poppe

Hagit Ofran documents settlement construction in the Palestinian territories and raises awareness of it among the Israeli public in order to continue to maintain the possibility of the two-state solution. She is also inspired by the legacy of her grandfather.

Blog

The Lawyer

By Lorena Fries and Nadine Metzner

Lorena Fries Monleón is a human rights activist and President of the “Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Género” in Chile. The zivik Funding Programme supports the project “Women Constituents” that puts gender aspects in the focus of the constitutional process. From 2016 to 2018, Lorena Fries Monleón was Chile’s first Under-Secretary for Human Rights and before that she was the director of the “Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos”.

Blog

Rosa Emilia Salamanca in her garden.

The Humanist

By Martin Petersen

Rosa Emilia Salamanca is weaving together a network of women to make Colombia a safer and more peaceful place. To achieve this, she has learned to deal with paradoxes.