Romana

The UNIV Congress in East Africa celebrated its final phase on July 26, 2003, in Fanusi Study Centre, Nairobi, a university residence for women. The theme of the conference was “Building peace in the twenty-first century.” The sixty participants presented a wide variety of panels and talks. Specific proposals were considered for encouraging peace in society through better communication in the family. Also discussed was the possibility of reducing poverty through micro-financing in small businesses. Multicultural initiatives for peace in Uganda were also discussed.

Carol Mandi, a well-known journalist and former student at Kianda School, insisted on the need to promote peace above all in the family, the basic cell of society. Margaret Roche, director of the Institute of Humanities at Strathmore University, spoke of the important role that teachers play in furthering peace through their influence on young people. Wangari Karuru, a doctor, spoke of the dignity of human life as a principal reason for fostering peace among peoples and of the need to defend the inviolability of human life from conception to natural death. The conclusions of the conference revolved around the importance of extending greater educational opportunities to those in the poorest neighborhoods and the need for professional training for women in the rural areas so as to contribute to the development and stability of families.