Advocacy for Oromia: spreading a culture of peace and love.

Throughout the year, we held Irreecha Birraa-Oromo (thanksgiving) celebrations on 29 September 2019, where more than 500 community members attended and enjoyed the day at Wilson Botanic Park Berwick. We ran six mental health education, five home-based Oromo postnatal cares, called Shanan, at the homes of five Oromo. We also ran a 10 series Peace Education Project workshops from July-August 2019 at Rossa House.

The course which was hosted by the Prem Rawat Foundation held in collaboration with Advocacy for Oromia Oromo Peace education project. “The workshops help us not only to recognise, but also to build our inner strength and hope,” said Dabessa Gemelal, the Peace Education coordinator at Advocacy for Oromia.

The Peace Education Program is a series of 10 sessions that guide an individual toward discovering inner resources integral in developing healthy life skills. Each session focuses on one of ten topics: Peace, Appreciation, Inner Strength, Self-Awareness, Clarity, Understanding, Dignity, Choice, Hope, and Contentment.

A graduation ceremony for our first Oromo Peace Ambassadors was held at Ross house on August 3,2019; 8 Oromo Peace Ambassadors graduated. “The impact of this program is very positive to help us cultivate inner strength,” Dabessa said. “I myself have grown from it, and I have seen the positive effect it has had on the participants.” The Oromo Peace Ambassadors were handed their graduation certificates from Gerry O’Connor, Beatrice and Jeremy Collier, Peace Education Team, Melbourne who facilitated the workshops.

The Oromo Peace Education Program helped participants feel empowered to face past events, gain a willingness to change, better manage their day to day life and spreading a culture of peace and love.

Dabessa pointed out that the program aims at the core concept of restoring Oromo Peace, Nagaa Oromoo, and supporting participants in their endeavour to restore and promote peace. “Oromo community seeks to promote awareness of the significance of promoting Oromo peace and in building up the peaceful Oromia citizen who participates constructively in the general, social, and cultural life in their country, Oromia,” said Dabessa.

By attending the peace education, the participants gained a deeper understanding of different cultures and an enhanced capability in analysing and solving conflicts by peaceful means. They also learned the importance of mutual respect and cooperation and were taught about human rights, causes of conflict and peaceful solutions.

Advocacy for Oromia work with Australian-Oromos to change lives for the better and we can’t run these significant events without the support of Ross House. We are proud of our achievements so

far, however there is so much more exploring and discovering left for us to do in the future. Our thanks to the many, many people who have contributed to this peace education project along the way. We appreciate the constant support of Ross House that we proudly call the space, the Oromo House, where we feel at home – for this we wish to thank Ross House and its staff for always being so helpful and friendly.
http://www.advocacy4oromia.org