Pedro is showing his Grade 8 students a new way to build peaceful, thriving communities.
In a time when nations war, governments fail, and communities divide, how do we build peace in our own backyards?
Today, our world is experiencing the highest levels of state-based armed conflict since 1945. We hear about it all the time—war in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and beyond. Two billion people live in conflict-affected countries.
It makes sense that we often think of peacebuilding in terms of ceasefires, peace talks, and UN blue helmets. But at FH, we see peacebuilding as an everyday practice that starts in individual hearts, homes, and neighbourhoods. When you strengthen bonds of trust between leaders, build solidarity between households, and create mutual support between people groups, you can build a strong foundation of peace that isn’t shaken by conflict or poverty.
Pedro, a teacher and director of a middle school in Guatemala, is doing just that—building a foundation of peace in his community, Rio Azul. But he also knows what it is like to live without peace.
Pedro checking on the school garden crops.
“Family violence marked my childhood,” Pedro recalls. His father struggled with addiction and abused his mother. Pedro longed for peace at home, and worked hard not to become like his father.
For Pedro, peacebuilding in his own backyard looks like breaking the generational cycle of family violence by investing in the next generation, ensuring they grow up in a safe, nurturing community.
Pedro found his passion in teaching young people entrepreneurship and training other teachers. He received community leadership training from FH Guatemala, learning the importance of building unity among leaders. They learned to mobilize resources, cooperate, and share skills, together.
“[FH] motivated us to achieve our dreams. We learned a lot about the value of human beings and our family,” Pedro shares.
We have a lot to learn from Pedro. Instead of contributing to cycles of conflict and violence, we can break the mould. We can build up, instead of tear down; investing in strengthening each other and our communities.
In a world of rising armed conflict and eroding connection, let’s create cultures of peace in our homes and communities, for now and for the next generation.