Amala Peace-building alumnus in Cameroon joins Peace First

Our next inspiring alumnus is 16 year old, Ordinance Dione from the South West Region of Cameroon. Ordinance graduated from Amala’s Peacebuilding Course that we ran with our partners, BRIGHT, in 2020.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself

I am an internally displaced person due to the ongoing crisis which affected me right down to my education. When I first heard about this course I felt like "what don't we know about peace already?" but then in the process of understanding the course I fell in love with it. Then I realised, this is the opportunity I have long waited for to experience a new dimension in education.

How did you feel when you started the course compared to when you finished it?

I am more than excited to be one of the first persons to participate in such a strange course to our society. What I mean actually is that in our country we really need such a type of education like we are really backward in our system of education. Now I am proud to be called a peace builder in my society. It's really cool. I am overwhelmed because I know that my society will not be the same again in just a short time from now. With the help of the course I can help my society. I am deeply filled with joy.

What skills did you learn on the course?

I actually learned how to manage conflict, I learned barriers to peace and how to deal with or manage these barriers, I equally learned to have an abundance mindset instead of a scarcity mindset, and also I learned to listen with the intention to understand, this was an aspect of me that I struggled with for years. Relationships between my classmates and I became stronger each day, especially with the help of group exercises and the collaboration norms we saw at the beginning. Interacting with them and other people is now a cup of tea for me.

Are you currently enrolled in any educational courses or employment now?

I have been enrolled in Peace First for a year and three months now where you share with them methods of promoting peace in the world and sometimes they fund your projects if it is worth positive impacts.

How do you feel Amala has helped you with what you have done since completing the course? 

The course has helped me in the sense that now I can live with others in peace. I can also myself find inner peace despite my situation and most of all I believe I am able to change my community. The negativity I used to have is now gone and I am now an optimistic person in all I do.

Would you recommend Amala’s course to a friend? What would you say to them?

I would definitely talk to every youth I know about this course and what I would tell them is "Hey! Come see, a new means of transforming our community is here! Come check it out". I would say exactly this because our society today really needs this, and the world in general needs it but my country turns a blind eye to it. I know that every youth in this  community will see studying peacebuilding as an honor and a great pleasure.

What are your aspirations for the future?

I hope to be a humanitarian worker. To be precise, I hope to be in the teaching field so that I can teach this peace to others out there. I also want to work with organizations that promote peace worldwide so  I can extend  courses of this such to countries that lack them.

Anything else you want to say?

And lastly all I want to say is a big thank you for changing me, and for helping me have access to quality education again, and also that I can't wait for the next Amala course.