To mark the International Day of Peace, we feature the stories of three Scouts - Crispin Kulimushi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ahmed Alsadeq from Palestine and Anah¨ª Sol Medina from Argentina - who are working in their communities to support peace efforts from the ground up.
Crispin Kulimushi is the Leader of the Rover Horizon University Clan of the East in the Federation of Scouts of the DRC.
Here¡¯s his peace.
On the night of 30 May 2026 in Beni-Ngadi, in the DRC, seven members of the Pygmy community were killed in an attack attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces. For many, this tragedy was just one more piece of news among many others. For me, it was a reminder of a reality that has persisted in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for nearly thirty years: families torn apart, villages abandoned, children deprived of education, and generations growing up in fear.
Refusing to let this violence become normal is the driving force behind my commitment to see young people not as the heirs of war, but as the builders of peace. Faced with this situation, I chose engagement over indifference."
- Crispin Kulimushi
Peacebuilding begins with local solutions
In the North Kivu II educational province, I contributed to peacebuilding in a campaign to collect and distribute school supplies for displaced children. For me, this initiative was not simply a response to a humanitarian or educational need. It was also a concrete way of contributing to peace.
As Scouts, we mobilised school supplies from people of goodwill, public institutions, and schools, and then organised their distribution to more than 3,000 displaced pupils and schoolchildren in the city of Butembo and parts of Lubero territory.
I contributed to the design, mobilisation, coordination, and implementation of this initiative, while encouraging participation from young people and other community actors. On the ground, I met children who had lost much more than their school supplies: some had lost their homes, their stability, and sometimes even loved ones.
This experience taught me that peacebuilding is not limited to major political processes or negotiations. It also begins with local actions that enable vulnerable people to regain their dignity, their hope, and their ability to imagine a future.
Through this campaign, more than 300 children were brought into the education system in 2025.
We wanted to send a message that even in a context of war and displacement, we can choose solidarity over indifference, cohesion over division, and hope over discouragement."
- Crispin Kulimushi
Youth as partners in peace
I would like to see decision-makers, humanitarian organisations, and development partners invest more in youth-led initiatives and create more spaces where young people can meaningfully participate in decisions affecting their communities.
Young people should not be seen only as beneficiaries, but as genuine actors and partners in crisis response and peacebuilding.
In eastern DRC, every action that gives a child the opportunity to return to school is another small stone laid on the path towards lasting peace."
- Crispin Kulimushi