One night in a small Sri Lanka village, a man was walking on the street alone. A second man approached on a bicycle and threw a hand grenade at him. The grenade exploded, critically injuring the man. The cyclist quickly rode away.

Violence creates fear, and fear locks civil society into a desperate silence. Fearful, silent people do not come out of their homes at night. None of the villagers came to the man’s aid. A Nonviolent Peaceforce peacekeeper heard the explosion and saw the man lying injured and bleeding in the street. She quickly ran to his aid, followed by another Nonviolent Peaceforce peacekeeper. They took him to the hospital in time for his life to be saved.

The following night the residents of the village marched through the streets to celebrate the life saved and the courage of the Nonviolent Peaceforce personnel. The villagers committed themselves to stand united and not to succumb to individual fears: a first step for the rebuilding of local civil society.