Zimbabwe’s Youth Write Peace Letters to President ED

The International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) that has been running a youth-led campaign writing letters to the head of each country across the world, has seen its local Zimbabwe chapter deliver over 5 000 letters to President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.

The letters are an international call to leaders to respond to the call made in 2018 for the support of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). The goal is to gain support at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGAS.)

The peace letters, gathered from all sectors of society, were delivered by Ms Sibongile Pfupajena to the Director of Policy Research and Training in the Office of the President, Mr Gideon Gapare last Friday.

Speaking after the handover of the letters, Yolanda Ndlovu, IPYG Media LiaisonIN Zimbabwe, said as IPYG, “we believe that in order to make world peace a reality, every individual of our global society must advocate for peace”.

Zimbabwean youths joined other youths in over 193 countries in this campaign to plead to leaders to support the DPCW initiative. The spirit of the campaign is based on the values written in the DPWC.

The DPCW was drafted by 21 international law experts and proclaimed on the 14 March 2016. It is composed of 10 articles and 38 clauses which include the prohibition of the use of force, friendly relations, dispute settlement, and spreading a culture of peace.

Many of the youth in Zimbabwe are still writing these letters adding their voices to the call for national and international peace.

“One touching letter was from a student at Mufakose High School in the capital who expressed despair in trying to cope with bullying at her school.

“I am facing challenges at school such as bullying in my school and location. I am being bullied by other kids because they think they own everyone around them. I cannot even walk around anymore because of fear, they threaten to hit me and are not afraid of cops,” she wrote, appealing for intervention.

This was echoed in many of the letters expressing fear caused by violence in their communities. Others cried out on drug abuse, with many being youths having been coerced into using drugs at an early age. Despite their love for the country, the youths expressed how unsafe their communities had become and the places they call home cannot protect them.

“I am a boy aged 15 years old. I don’t know what I can do to avoid being bullied. At my school, I don’t have peace, I am trying to find out where peace is but I am failing to have it. I love my country because I have my responsibility, but I am failing to have peace,” he cried out.

In their pursuit for peace, the youth of Zimbabwe plea to His Excellency President Mnangagwa, popularly  referred to as called ED,  to help them live and learn in peaceful societies.

In 2018, about 1 million individuals from 176 countries wrote peace letters to their presidents. From the group, youth from 23 countries delivered the hand-written letters to nine former and current presidents, and prime ministers from eight countries.

Currently, nations such as Seychelles, the Kingdom of eSwatini as well as the international community such Central American Parliament, Pan-African Parliament (PAP) under the African Union (AU) have supported the declaration.

Government officials and civic groups are seeking ways to drive principles of peace based on the DPCW, through adoption of a peace curriculum to develop related policies and programs.  Earlier this month the nation of Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to introduce nationwide peace education based on the principles of the DPCW.