From March 9 to 18, 2023, MPI's Research, Documentation, and Learning (RDL) team visited Laos for various meetings with MPI alumni and existing and potential partner organizations.
Thirteen MPI alumni gathered at the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) office in Phonesavanh-Tai, Vientiane, on March 11. This gathering provided an opportunity for alumni to connect with other fellow alumni and share their experiences and knowledge in peacebuilding. This reunion would not have been possible without the help of two MPI key alumni in Laos and MCC Laos’ country director Andrea Bontrager Unzicker who assisted the RDL team in reconnecting with the alumni.
The RDL team also got the chance to meet the MCC team both in Vientiane and Xiengkhouang and learn more about their perspective on the peace and conflict situation in Laos. These meetings served as an opportunity for mutual learning as some MCC staff discussed their land and conflict resolution projects while the RDL team talked about MPI's work, including the upcoming MPI 2023 Annual Peacebuilding Training. We are grateful to MCC Laos for their assistance during these meetings and for taking the time out of their busy schedule to tour us around the wonderful and historical sites in Laos.
The Laos trip also included meetings with former and incoming mentors for the Grassroots Peacebuilding Mentors (GPBM) Training Program and visits to their respective organizations.
We are so happy with the turnout of our visit, and we hope that our Laos alumni will continue to follow the path towards peace.
ຂອບໃຈຫລາຍໆ 🙏