essan dileri
Afghanistan/ Australia
Essan is a dynamic peacebuilder. Essan works as Team Leader Diversity and Intercultural Development, where he leads a team of community capacity development professionals which includes Intercultural Project Officer, Interfaith Project Officer, Community Development Officer (holding LGBTIQA+ portfolio) to deliver services and initiatives aligned to Council’s Intercultural Plan and Interfaith Strategy for the community.
Essan over 20 years’ experience in Australia and various contexts internationally in the areas of diversity and inclusion, community development, leadership, management, project planning and management including evaluation, settlement and family services, Aboriginal programs, refugee and asylum seekers services, peace building /conflict management and participatory rural development and research.
Essan holds a Masters Degree in Development Studies at Kimmage Development Centre, Dublin and MBA from Preston University, Peshawar, Pakistan. Additionally, his passion for the role storytelling has in support inclusion and equity drives all his work, including having written his own story to help improve understanding of the plight of refugees and people seeking asylum globally. A link to his book ‘Raised in Conflict’ can be found here.
Read Essan's story and recipe for Peace-Meal on our Blog:
Anouk ride dolaiano
Solomon Islands/ Australia
Dr Anouk Ride Dolaiano trained as a journalist, is a screenwriter and editor. Anouk is author of The Grand Experiment,co-editor of Community Resilience in Natural Disasters, and has written and edited for books, newspapers and magazines in Asia, Australia, Europe Pacific Islands and the USA. She has a keen knowledge of international affairs in particular, having completed a Master of Arts (International Relations) and a PhD in peace and conflict studies, which focused on narratives of peace and conflict in the Solomon Islands. Anouk researches conflict, interpersonal violence and social inclusion.
Her research interests focus around participatory research methods and research projects that enable local people to analyse topics of interest and identify their own solutions to conflict, gender inequality and social exclusion. Her international experience also includes working for two international magazines and several international non-government organisations. She lives in the Solomon Islands with her husband Adilah and their two children.
ADILAH dolaiano
Adilah Dolaiano
Adilah Dolaiano started filming for one television in 2007, not just in the Solomon Islands but in the Pacific too. He is the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Media Centre trained and certified, Canal France international trained and had a short attachment with Australia Broadcasting Corporation's Australian network.
Solomon Islands
Adilah is head of Sukwadi Media, and producer, director and cameraman of the award-winning documentary THE TEST which is the story of a boy who paddles a canoe out to sea to fish tuna in a test for himself and future of a community, along with producer and screenwriter Anouk Ride Dolaiano and researcher and writer Julian Maka’a.
Arqta Delia Maria Davila Illescas
Delia and Elva, Guatemala
Over the past 30 years my mom, Elva Lilia Illescas Anleu, has been teaching literature and grammar to young girls. She teaches them how to transform the way they use words in order to have a place in society where they can take action in creating their own future.
She became a Peace ambassador because of her love, passion and extensive work dedicated to empower young girls.
I am a peace practitioner and an Architect. I find joy in the act of transformation. Five years ago I became the first female Architect to be in charge of the accommodation of the President and his family. As well of the infrastructure of the physical space of the elite civil security wing of the President of Guatemala. This wing is part of the peace agreement signed in 1996 where civil society have to take part of leading the country, especially in areas were the military had control.
During this time, I participated restoration of the historic buildings of the presidency as part of path of my country embracing of its history.
In 2014 my mom, my sister and I started a Book club called. “Colectivo Hierbabuena”, in which we share with 14 other women of different ages the joy of reading and empowerment through words. Find us in @colectivohierbabuena on Instagram.
Read their beautiful story and recipe "Ice-cream for the years unaccounted" here on our Blog
Peace-Meals at CPCS Staff House, Cambodia
Delia’s father was known to us as a well-known international peacebuilder from Guatemala. When I met Delia, it was in Cambodia where she was undertaking a work placement and her Masters of Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (which I was a faculty member and supervisor).
Delia lived with CPCS faculty and friends - Monica, Chona and where we lived, took morning walks, and ate and shared many stories about home, family and our commitment to peacebuilding. When I asked Delia if she’d like to contribute to Peace-Meal, I extended the invitation for her to perhaps do a joint contribution with her father. Instead Delia told me that her mother, whose story of courage and resilience, she wanted to share with us. In this special contribution Delia translates her mother’s story and recipe.
david nyuol vincent
David Nyuol Vincent, South Sudan/ Australia
David Nyuol Vincent is a dual South-Sudanese/Australian citizen who has been heavily involved in peace and reconciliation initiatives in South Sudan and with the South Sudanese diaspora in Australia, aimed at laying the foundations of trust for sustainable development in his home country. David has co-founded and played a pivotal role in several community-based organisations and social enterprises in South Sudan including the “Annual Sudanese Summit on Peace Change and Leadership” (2010), “Peace Palette” (2011), the national “Peace Mobilisers initiative” (2013) and the “Sport for Peace Initiative” (2016-2019). He is currently in South Sudan part of the team, Peacebuilding Opportunities Fund (POF), a UK government programme to pursue conflict reduction and peacebuilding objectives in a flexible, strategic, and sustained manner. He is also an author of his memoir titled "The Boy Who Wouldn't Die," published in 2012.
Read David's story and recipe for Peace-Meal book on our Blog!
David's contribution to the Peace-Meal book is titled: "My Recipe from a Refugee Camp", you can enjoy it early as it is featured on our blog.
Charles allen
Charles Allen, Australia
Charlie is currently the Director of Partnerships at the Institute for Economics and Peace. IEP’s Positive Peace Framework provides opportunity for research to support practical peace building and development at policy and community levels.
Charlie has an extensive history of working with partners. In his previous role with Victoria Police, Australia, his team led strategic and operational change in support of Aboriginal, LGBTI, Disability, Mental health, Multicultural, Youth and Seniors communities. His policing career including many years of operation service in general duties and investigations culminating in senior change management roles.
Outside of policing he has been an active peacebuilder with experience as a director with not for profits and hands on project level for wide ranging social cohesion and capability building programs.
His postgraduate study includes a Master in Leadership, Organisation and Change, he has studied Human Rights and as a Rotary Peace Fellow studied Peace and Conflict Resolution, at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He is well respected among peacebuilders for his pioneering work in resilience (Charlie led Illoura Peace Retreats/ Space Melbourne, which partners with Space Bangkok); and equally respected within policing for his community centre approach to police management.
Charlie's contribution to the Peace-Meal book is titled: "Good food and peace be with you" , you can enjoy it on our blog.
Helen bishop
Northern Territory, Australia
Helen Bishop is a Kungarakan woman of the Northern Territory. Her academic focus has been in her professional ambitions to enlarge procedural fairness, dispute resolution, problem solving and participatory agreement making specifically to enhance Indigenous Australian’s access to such services across Australia.
Helen champions dispute resolution as a means to closing the Gap in service provision as a constructive tool to enable greater access to restorative justice and peacebuilding. Helen formalised her deep interests in social equity and peacebuilding by obtaining a MA in Conflict Resolution. Her aim is to support methods and practices with Indigenous Australians in navigating conflict and process managing disputes that would otherwise continue to see them in regular contact with the criminal justice systems; the Police, Courts, Custodial services, Family and Children’s services and other challenging or intrusive social deterrents and exchanges. Helen is a Nationally Accredited Mediator and the Winner of the Australian ADR Award: A&TSIS Mediator of the Year 2019.
She has contributed to the following bodies across Australia: as a State-wide Manager for the Aboriginal Alternative Dispute Resolution Service for Western Australia; as an appointed Member of the National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council to the Federal Attorney General 2001-2004; as the Convenor of Indigenous Dispute Resolution & Conflict Management Project, 2002-2004; as a Consultant to the Federal Court of Australia’s Indigenous Dispute Resolution & Conflict Management Project 2009; and worked as a Mediator in Right People for Country Project, Victoria 2012-2015. She delivered the Inaugural Keynote to the ADR Indigenous Communities Conference, Victoria, 2015. Helen was also a Director, Mediator Standards Board 2018-2019 and remains a contributing member of the Conference Design Committee National Mediation Conference 2018 – 2021 and an Australian Member-Women Mediators across the Commonwealth (WMC).
Helen’s objectives are to level the playing field with Indigenous Australian’s and to enable access to effective, fair, safe problem solving that will care for the dignity, interests, needs and concerns that Indigenous people of Australia express.
Helen's story and recipe for our Peace-Meal book
Helen's contribution to the Peace-Meal book is titled: "Creating a Meal of a Conversation", you can enjoy it early as it will soon feature on our Blog.
khet long
Cambodia
Khet Long is a co-founder of a civil society organization called Youth for Peace in Cambodia. He was its Executive Director from its inception in 2005 until May 2018. He has more than a decade of practical experience in peacebuilding work. He has been instrumental in the development of the peace, leadership, and reconciliation programs for young people (who make up 70% of its population) in Cambodia.
He completed his Masters degree in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies from Pannasastra University and the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS). He led the Peace Education Research project - Action Research on Initiating a Way to Address Legacy of Memory in Cambodia; was co-researcher on a Conflict Sensitivity Study, a Study for HEKS Program in Cambodia; co-researcher on Legacy of Memory for the Cambodians: Impacts of Memory Building and Reconciliation in the Community Peace Learning Centers; co-researcher on Image of Civil Society Organizations in Cambodia; Co-researcher on Image of Poverty in Cambodia; and a study on Community Learning Centres (CLC) Minimum Standards in Cambodia: Challenges and Opportunities plus other engagements in regional peace and community memory initiatives. Khet received his bachelor degree from the Royal University of Phnom Penh in the Faculty of Pedagogy. He has more than 18 years experience working with a broad range of civil society actors in Cambodia. Khet has led work with civil society groups for many years in the fields of transitional justice, peacebuilding, memory and reconciliation in Cambodia as well as around the world. He is currently working for the Peace Institute of Cambodia as its Executive Director.
Khet's story and recipe for our Peace-Meal book
Khet's contribution to the Peace-Meal book is titled: "Survival Food", you can enjoy it early as it is featured on our Blog.
Charlito "Kaloy" Manlupig
The Philippines
In 1995, Kaloy and some friends started a small social enterprise project that provided meals for participants in NGO seminars and conferences in Mindanao. Kaloy was its first cook, server, dishwasher and all-around utility person. One of the favorite dishes that Kaloy cooked and served then (and continues to cook until today on special occasions) is “humba” - a Filipino pork dish originating from the Visayas in Central Philippines where Kaloy’s mother comes from.
That kitchen eventually evolved into what is known today as Balay Mindanaw - a home-grown Mindanao-based and Mindanaon-led NGO pursuing the mission of equity, development, resilience and peace.
Today, Kaloy is a fulltime development, peacebuilder, advocate and humanitarian worker. He is the founder and President of Balay Mindanaw.
He was the Independent Mediator in the peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Revolutionary Workers Party in Mindanao from 2014 to 2010. He was also a resource person in the peace talks between the Philippine Government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-New Peoples Army (CPP-NDF-NPA), that has been waging a 50-year bloody revolution against the government.
Kaloy story and recipe for our Peace-Meal book
Kaloy's contribution to our Peace-Meal book is titled "Humba of my Childhood".