For the Muslim Maranao from the southern part of the Philippines around Lake Lanao, the word “rido” means clan feuds. Rido is a type of conflict most commonly observed in Mindanao and is characterized by sporadic outbursts of retaliatory violence between families and kinship groups, as well as between communities. But RIDO as an acronym is an organization that aims to solve this type of conflict.

The Reconciliatory Initiatives for Development Opportunities Incorporated (RIDO) have shared with the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute Foundation, Inc. (MPI) some of the amazing efforts that they have been making to propagate peace, counter violence with understanding and resolve/mitigate conflict in the areas in which they have been working. Over the past three years, from 2010 to 2012, RIDO recounted inspiring stories of hope and reconciliation in their publication entitled Kalilintad, the Maranao word for peace. Heading this organization are MPI alumni who participated in MPI’s Annual Peacebuilding Training in 2008 and 2009, including its Executive Director, Mr. Abdul Hamidullah “Pogie” T. Atar.

Gopa Bhattacharya (2015), did not waste time in implementing her newly acquired skills when she returned to India. Gopa shared the following news and pictures with us.

Greetings from Tomorrow's Foundation and MCC Kolkata.

As I shared, conducting a workshop was in my plans upon returning home. I started to incorporate what I learned during the training at MPI into workshops for government school teachers. We have already completed two days of training and the feed back was full of praise.

Going forward I will continue this initiative to include other schools.

Thanking you.

Glimpses of post MPI 2015

On July 1, 2015, Sister Ella Naben from Indonesia presented what she learned from MPI to the president and faculty of their university. They liked what Sister Ella shared and asked her to conduct a workshop for the faculty.

Sister Ella also applied some of what she learned at MPI in her work with the students and the Campus Ministry members, including the energizers learned during MPI’s 2015 Annual Peacebuilding Training.

MPI alumnus Kisuke Ndiku wrote to us to share and call for thanks giving as they continue on the path of Peace Making.

Kisuke shared with us a research paper titled Keeping religion out of a conflict: Learning from the Kenyan Church published in the International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology that is a testimonial of the on-going initiatives in Kenya (not his personal work).

Kisuke went on to write, "Let us be both grateful and thankful that such a voice could be raised as indicated in this research paper.

"But let us also continue to pray for the Kenyan Church on its role for peace, in peace, on peace and at peace within and outside in its constituency.

"A specific person to remember is Rev. Stephen Anyenda, Coastal Interfaith Council of Clerics based in Mombasa, working along the region Kismayo to Vanga of Kenya's Coast. He has had very positive impact working with inter-religious leadership including - Hindu Council of Kenya, NCCK , Muslims – Imams and Preachers of Kenya, and the Supreme Council of Muslims of Kenya, the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Fellowship of Kenya (comprising of many Pentecostal/Evangelical churches), the Africa Instituted Churches, and the Kayas (African traditional religious/practices). All these have their various shrines, mosques, and churches where peace messages and right relationships are a major focus."