Japanese sitePeacebuilding Activities
About This Project
Peacebuilding encompasses a wide range of activities. More than just the absence of war, peacebuilding means firmly planting a desire for peace in the hearts of all people -- without doing so, peace can collapse in an instant. Above all, ANT-Hiroshima believes preserving peace requires continuous effort.
People around the world are engaged in peacebuilding activities. ANT-Hiroshima works closely with local people already striving to address the peace-related needs of their communities.
Furthermore, Hiroshima has power as a place of peacebuilding and reconciliation. ANT-Hiroshima believes the unique experience of meeting with others in Hiroshima has a great positive effect on those participating in its peacebuilding activities.
How This Work Began
In 2005, ANT-Hiroshima helped hold the “Peace Bridge Project Israel-Palestine-Japan: Youth Exchange Meeting” in Hiroshima. High school students from Hiroshima, Israel, and Palestine participated in cultural exchange, learned about each other’s lives, and searched for a path toward reconciliation. From this experience, Tomoko Watanabe saw Hiroshima’s power of place in a new light and felt the importance and great potential of peacebuilding through nurturing friendships face to face. From then on, ANT-Hiroshima has cooperated with people in Hiroshima and around the world who are working for similar peacebuilding initiatives.
In 2012, ANT-Hiroshima participated in “Peace Cranes: Hiroshima-Nagasaki Exhibit and Mindanao Peace Forum,” which was jointly sponsored by Ifugao State University and the JICA Philippine Office. From that opportunity, ANT-Hiroshima began participating in various peacebuilding activities in the Mindanao region of the Philippines.
