By: Audrey Raymonda John
Madam Rugiatu Neneh Turay, Chairperson of the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) and Director of the Amazonian Initiative Movement (AIM–SL), delivered a compelling message at the Peace Festival in The Hague, emphasizing the crucial role communities play in achieving genuine and lasting peace.
Turay highlighted that while peace is a universal value shared across cultures, its meaning and pursuit differ. “The world needs peace, and peace, like change, can only come from within,” madam Turay added.
She asserted that true peace must be rooted in empowering communities, ensuring that every individual has access to opportunities, dignity, and a sense of belonging. “Peace means different things to different people,” she explained, “and any effort to build it must respect those lived realities.”
Drawing from Sierra Leone’s turbulent history shaped by colonization, inequality, and an eleven-year civil war she reflected on the lessons learned about disempowerment and its role in fueling conflict. “To break this cycle, we must recognize and restore the strengths within communities, especially the traditional support systems that foster justice and belonging,” she said.
Turay pointed out that many rural communities in Sierra Leone still face challenges such as poverty, lack of education, and limited prospects, leaving youth feeling trapped and desperate. “Peace is not possible when you can’t feed your family or educate your children,” she emphasized. “Real peace must address these basic needs and be built from the ground up with the people, supported from the top down through policy, funding, and institutional commitment.”
Highlighting her work to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), she explained that externally imposed solutions often fail, leading to resistance and unrest. In contrast, the Neneh Strategy a community-driven approach promotes change by preserving the best aspects of Sierra Leonean culture while ending harmful practices. “Through inclusive dialogue, education, income-generating opportunities, and respect for traditions, lasting change can flourish from within,” she stated.
Turay introduced the Rothumba Project as an example of this approach a holistic, community-led initiative integrating education, economic empowerment, and healthcare. “It demonstrates what becomes possible when people are treated as active agents of their own transformation,” she affirmed.
She concluded with a call to action: “I invite the world to consider this model of peace a model that doesn’t erase traditions but evolves them; one that doesn’t impose peace from the outside but nurtures it from within. Ask yourself: Is your government, institution, or leadership investing in the change your communities deserve? Are the voices of rural communities, girls, and youth truly being heard? Peace can only be genuine when it is felt by all, not just imagined by a few.”