Peace Education & Skills Development at Isōko Center for Humanity: Building on Rwanda’s Educational Journey

The Peace Education pillar of the Isōko Center for Humanity draws directly from Rwanda’s remarkable post-genocide reconstruction journey. Born from necessity in 2004 when the Kigali Genocide Memorial opened amid growing mistrust between children of survivors and perpetrators, Aegis Trust recognized that simply teaching genocide history wasn’t enough—they needed to teach peace. What began as a pilot project in 2008 expanded to 22 districts by 2013, and by 2014, Rwanda’s Education Board adopted the model nationwide. Today, this peace education impacts over 2.5 million Rwandan students annually, promoting three core values: critical thinking, empathy, and personal responsibility. Isōko’s education pillar aims to expand this proven methodology globally.

A Comprehensive Approach to Applied Peacebuilding

At Isōko, the education pillar functions as a global center of excellence for applied peacebuilding. Through diverse educational initiatives, it brings together teachers, students, community leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to discover practical approaches to peace education. Programs include roundtable discussions, residential training, vocational development, and initiatives addressing hate speech and incitement. Rather than theoretical concepts, participants engage with field-tested methods that have demonstrated success in Rwanda’s context. The focus remains firmly on translating Rwanda’s hard-won insights into actionable approaches that work in different cultural and conflict settings worldwide, helping communities build resilience against the pressures that lead to violence.

The Changemaker Program: Transformation in Action

The Changemaker program stands at the core of Isōko’s global education work. This intensive, multi-day experience combines field trips with tailored workshops designed specifically for community leaders from regions at risk of conflict. Participants—who have come from countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and South Sudan—learn directly from Rwanda’s peacebuilding journey and collaborate on applying these lessons to their local contexts. The program’s transformative potential is exemplified by people like Brice Emotion, who abandoned his role as spokesman for the Anti-Balaka militia in the Central African Republic after participating in Changemaker training, subsequently working alongside Muslim leaders for peace in his community.

Research-Led and Evidence-Based Practice

The education pillar firmly grounds its work in rigorous research, bridging theory and practice through locally-embedded social science that informs educational materials. A comprehensive 22-month empirical study published in 2024 highlighted how Aegis facilitates healing processes that participants described as “kuvura ibikomere” (treating the wounds) and “mvura nkuvure” (mutual healing). This research-informed approach has positioned Aegis as a leader in peace education, with knowledge transfer extending to similar initiatives globally. Isōko will expand this tradition, supporting research that evaluates impact and continuously refines methodologies, ensuring that peace education remains adaptive, culturally relevant, and demonstrably effective across different contexts.

Digital Innovation and Global Reach

The Ubumuntu Digital Platform—whose name means “greatness of the heart” in Kinyarwanda—exemplifies Isōko’s commitment to extending peace education through innovation. Launched in 2019 with support from the Embassy of Belgium in Rwanda, this interactive resource provides teachers, youth, parents, and decision-makers with curated content, practical educational tools, and creative stories. With over 3,500 users and more than 250,000 page views, the platform is expanding to include a Kinyarwanda version and mobile application, making peace education accessible to broader audiences. Isōko will continue to leverage digital technologies to amplify its reach, enabling communities worldwide to access Rwanda’s proven peacebuilding methodologies.

Community Integration and Sustainable Impact

Isōko’s education programming recognizes that peace education must extend beyond formal schooling into families and communities to create lasting change. The ASPIRE program (Action for Sustainable Peace, Inclusion, Rights and Equality) exemplifies this approach, engaging not only teachers but also parents, youth champions, and community leaders. Through this comprehensive strategy, peace education creates ripple effects throughout society—youth champions have helped 46 students return to school, 14 families have resolved conflicts through youth mediation, and parents report significant improvements in family dynamics. At Isōko, education programming will integrate economic opportunity and social cohesion through initiatives like on-site social enterprises, agricultural programs, and cooperative activities that build both skills and livelihoods.

Global Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange

The education pillar thrives on collaboration, forging partnerships with institutions worldwide to expand its impact. Current academic collaborations extend across multiple continents, including the University of Rwanda, Exeter University, King’s College London, Leiden University, and others. These partnerships focus not merely on knowledge production but on developing real-world solutions with immediate societal impact. At Isōko, the education pillar will strengthen these connections while establishing new ones, creating a truly global network of peace practitioners and researchers. Through these relationships, Isōko will facilitate the exchange of best practices, foster innovative approaches to peace education, and create opportunities for collaborative research that advances the field of applied peacebuilding.