2012 Community Solutions Leaders: Tolerance and Conflict Resolution

The distinguished 2012 Community Solutions Leaders come from 28 countries worldwide to build their capacity to lead community interventions and to share their expertise with community organizations in the U.S. Leaders build on their local experiences and forge cross-cultural bonds, becoming even more effective agents of positive change in their home countries.

Community Solutions Leaders focus on one of the following four areas: Tolerance/Conflict Resolution, Environmental Issues, Transparency and Accountability, and Women's Issues.

Tolerance and Conflict Resolution

	Jean de Dieu Gatete, Rwanda The Peace Project Jean de Dieu Gatete is the co-founder and current coordinator of CAPABLE-Rwanda, an organization that promotes youth participation in community development and peace building initiatives. Gatete plans to develop a civic participation project with the CAPABLE network to provide youth with tools that allow them to actively participate in socioeconomic recovery and to become entrepreneurs of a green economy.
	Martha Engole, Uganda The Institute for Inclusive Security As a Program Officer at Teso Women Peace Activists, Martha Engole is actively involved in engaging women and girls in peace building and conflict resolution processes by supporting the mainstreaming of gender rights-based approaches within the region. Engole plans to focus on conducting learning initiatives on conflict transformation between women peace promoters of the Teso and Karamoja regions.
	Maria Clara Piedrahita, Colombia Spurs Sports & Entertainment As the project coordinator of the Nutresa Foundation, Maria Clara Piedrahita works on nutrition, education and income generation initiatives through the company's corporate social responsibility division. She aims to transfer skills from the Community Solutions Program to community leaders and volunteers at "Montes de Maria", a social consolidation area, where she plans to develop a volunteer’s training guide based on practices of tolerance and conflict resolution.
	Yanilis Romero, Colombia Holmes Elementary School As a Research Coordinator of the English Department at Antonia Santos High School in Colombia, Yanilis Romero teaches and conducts research on how teachers can better connect students’ learning outcomes to the realities of their communities so that students have the abilities to directly benefit their communities and become change agents. She plans to focus her work on integrating the promotion of citizenship and community engagement into the curricula at the high school level.
	Marie Soudnie Rivette, Haiti Erie-Gannon Alliances to Improve Neighborhood Sustainability As a Gender and Protection Adviser with Oxfam Haiti, Marie Soudnie Rivette uses a participatory approach to work with community-based organizations and women's groups on strategic planning, and designing and implementing democratic governance models. She has supported the protection of persons affected by the earthquake and the promotion of youth leadership, and plans to develop youth councils in at-risk neighborhoods to address issues of community conflict.
	Andrea Alexander, Trinidad & Tobago Community Voices Heard As the Community Organiser/Social Worker at CIT+E (Community Intervention for Transformation and Empowerment), Andrea Alexander works with leaders to identify effective solutions to community issues. She collaborates with stakeholders, government and NGOs to address community challenges, and is involved in mentoring youth. She plans to focus on youth projects to develop and implement peace promotion strategies.
	Samuel Ebeid, Egypt oneblue.org Samuel Ebeid is the Head of Forum Programs for the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services Forum for Intercultural Dialogue, where he works on creating safe environments that encourage forum participants to dialogue on common issues and interests, and organizes activities that build potential leaders’ capacities in peace building and conflict resolution. He plans to implement an e-learning dialogue program targeting youth leaders to promote the culture of dialogue.
	Ortal Be'eri, Israel Search for Common Ground on Race As a Project and Budget Manager at the Geneva Initiative, Ortal Be’eri is involved in managing and facilitating seminars that seek to promote a sustainable peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. She works to promote understanding and dialogue in the Israeli society through facilitating dialogue groups, and plans to implement a project that will promote dialogue and cooperation between Jewish and Arab citizens in her community.
	Padam Pariyar, Nepal U.S. International Council on Disabilities As an Advocacy Technical Officer at Handicap International-Nepal, Padam Pariyar advocates for and supports disabled people’s organizations to make disaster risk management situations inclusive of disabled persons. In addition, he researches the effects of conflict on persons with disabilities, and advocates for greater participation of disabled persons in peace building and rehabilitation initiatives. He hopes to utilize his learning and experience gained to create a national dialogue around the effects of conflict on persons with disabilities.