Indonesia: Mashoi - We are Brothers, learning to build Peace

Global Citizen Corps (GCC) in collaboration with Maluku Economic Recovery Program (MERP) conducted Peace building and Conflict Mitigation Training for Maluku’s Youth leaders. The training was held in Masohi, Seram Island from April 25-29, 2011. The humid and laid-back Seram Island is part of Moluccas Islands, a group of islands made famous to the world by its plants: clove and nutmeg, notably the most important commodities for trading during the era of Western Colonialism. It takes around six hours in total to reach Masohi from Jakarta, three hours by plane and another three hours by boat.

Conflict consists of different layers, starting from individual conflict to conflict between groups of people. The participants learned how to manage individual conflict, handle conflict at larger level by learning how to manage emotion, practice consensus building, and become mediators. The workshop is relevant because almost all participants have experience conflict, from domestic violence to ethno-religion communal conflict that happened in 1999.

On the last day of the workshop, participants had a field visit to MERP chocolate plantation site where Mercy Corps staff assisted local farmers to adopt an innovative plantation technique where the usual period of harvesting can be shortened from one year to three months. Since majority of participants were farmers, they were very excited to learn and experience first hand the Mercy Corps’ MERP program. One of the participants said that MERP plantation site is very good and he took home some of chocolate branch to plant back at his village.

During the peace building training, the young people learned about leadership, peace and conflict mitigation skills. Under the theme: Katong Samua Basudara (We are brothers), the participants who represent different villages in Seram Island will empower and make an impact on their respective communities.