A moment for celebrating the past work and a moment for reflecting on the future steps

A moment for being thankful of what have being learnt and shared during the past months, a moment for celebrating the steps head that have been done and a moment for remembering there is still a lot of work to be done.

GCI’s staff went to Bombe Bakundu Community for the for the graduation ceremony as a conclusion of the workshops series, handing out the diploma of the human rights course. We were welcomed by the Secretary, who recalled the importance of respecting human rights in the Traditional Council’s activities, thanking GCI for creating more awareness about the benefits deriving from the respect of human rights. Then, the diplomas were handed out to any participant, for recognizing the effort that any of them has done and for reminding the responsibility to put into practice what has been learnt and to transmit it to the community, eradicating the mentality that these values are an imposition of a withe man’s law.

As a conclusion of the graduation ceremony, GCI’s staff made a speech, reminded how all the topic treated during the workshops are interconnected and essential for a peaceful development of the society. The participation of all the members of the community, irrespective of their gender, is one of the fundamental steps for building up a society where human rights are respected. But participation is possible only if the persons in charge of public offices are good leaders, able to manage the res publica transparently and to encourage the participation of their citizens without discriminating among tribes. Also at this level, a good governance is better achieved if there is a check and balance of the powers and this is possible only if  councilors can be held accountable of their decisions and actions. And finally, we need good leaders that work in the present, keeping an eye on the future. Adopting the win-win mediation strategies leads to building up lasting and friendly relationships. But there still a long way to go. Once it is decided the direction in which I want to develop my community, it is necessary to work every day for achieving the objectives set up. And the Councilors play a pivotal role for bringing a change in their community, that constantly looks up to them. Therefore, if their behavior will change, this will reflect on the entire society. The Traditional Council won’t be let alone in these upcoming challenges: GCI will keep working with the Traditional Council, assisting to some of the Council’s sessions and conducting some refresher workshops.

But, now, let’s the party get started and cheer together for celebrating the good work done and the relationships established!

The Community Arbitration and Mediation project is now about to step in a new phase, aiming to evaluate the impact workshop series on the everyday work of the Traditional Council and the consequences on the entire community.