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Peacebuilding defined locally

02 May 2026 By David Donaldson

"What does peace truly look like to those who live in the neighbourhood?"

Julianne Funk, a Swiss scholar and practitioner of faith-based peacebuilding asks, "What does peace truly look like to those who live in the neighbourhood?" This led her to research how aid recipients envision "peace" in specific areas.

On a recent episode of the All Things Reconciled podcast she introduces her organization Everyday Peace Indicators, which provides data to help direct money donated for a specific troubled area. Such help is needed because otherwise priorities set by the leadership of major agencies and "experts and scholars" can miss the priorities of the recipients of the funds.

Recipients, Funk observes, define peace in very concrete terms – safe playgrounds for children, no pollution in local rivers, safe and reliable infrastructure. "In one situation the manhole covers on the street didn’t fit and rattled whenever a car drove over them, but no agency would consider fixing" them. THEEFC.CA/ALL-THINGS-RECONCILED

Photo: Dave Bankhead (WeAreOne.org.uk) leads a session at the International School of Reconciliation held in Rwanda in March. PRN cosponsored the conference that brought peacemakers from Europe, North America and across Africa.

The World Evangelical Alliance Peace & Reconciliation NetworkPeace and Reconciliation Network logo does its work through the generosity of donors. Connect with the PRN or donate. Invite Joel Zantingh of Guelph, Ont., or global PRN director Phil Wagler of Kelowna, B.C., as a speaker. Read more of these blog posts at FaithToday.ca/AllThingsReconciled.

The World Evangelical Alliance Peace & Reconciliation Network does its work through the generosity of donors. Connect with the PRN or donate. Invite Joel Zantingh of Guelph, Ont., or global PRN director Phil Wagler of Kelowna, B.C., as a speaker. Read more of these blog posts at FaithToday.ca/AllThingsReconciled.

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