December 2005

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to announce NP will soon begin recruiting a five-person international team to be sent to Mindanao in the Philippines which has experienced several armed conflicts in recent decades. The NP team will focus on expanding the ability of local peacekeepers to carry out their work through nonviolent conflict intervention training, accompaniment, and enhancement of a grassroots early warning system. Read More

We are also happy to report the hiring of an African Regional Coordinator , Ms Redemptor Reis Binta. A former refugee of Rwanda, Ms. Binta has worked in various aspects of development and reconciliation for refugees. Her role now will be to prepare for the potential deployment, if requested by credible local leaders, of NP in northern Uganda and southern Sudan.

We thank the 34 NP supporters from around the world who traveled to Sri Lanka in November to serve as short term election observers during the recent presidential elections. Read More

Many of you have asked what items Field Team Members in Sri Lanka can use. Books on nonviolence and your cards and letters of support are quite welcome and can be sent to the project office in Colombo . Your generous ongoing financial support is what helps the most. The NPSL Project holiday wish list includes:

Equipment for the New Field Office in South Batticaloa District: $5,000
3 Desktop Computers: $800 each or $2400
1 Motorbike: $1,500
3 Satellite Phones: $500 each or $1500
2 Printer/fax/scanner: $150 each or $300
4 Cell phones: $80 each or $320
Life jackets for Mutur/Trinco Team: $50

Click here to make an online donation .

Don't forget that during this holiday season peace bonds make excellent gift s for friends, family, teachers, and co-workers. Please share this unique gift idea (tax-deductible in the U.S.) with family and friends. Be sure to also spread the word about the International Peace Bond Design Competition for youth and adults. Entries are due January 20, 2006.

Peace Bonds and other donations will help replenish and expand our deployment of peaceworkers. We are currently seeking candidates for a minimum of 18 months service in Sri Lanka. Click here for criteria and application . Online applications are due December 23, 2005.

You can also donate stock and mutual funds to Nonviolent Peaceforce. Contact Tamra Falk or call 1-612-871-0005 for details. Be sure to contact her each time you make a donation of stock so we know whom the gift is from.

In the spirit of hope let's see how many peacekeepers we can field, how many local peacemakers we can support, and how many lives we can protect in 2006.

“Come my friends, tis not too late to seek a newer world!” (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

With hope and resolve,

Mel Duncan,
Executive Director

P.S. As I prepare to send this to you, I am preoccupied with the wellbeing of our Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) brothers still captive in Iraq. Working closely with CPT, we have used our network and contacts to try to influence their release. We, of course, need to keep all those suffering from violence in our thoughts, prayers and actions.