Dr. Marie-Marcelle H. Deschamps

Dr. Marie-Marcelle Deschamps is the deputy executive director, the head of the women's health program, and the manager of the clinical research unit of GHESKIO Centers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. GHESKIO works with the Haitian and U.S. governments, Weill Cornell Medical College, UNICEF, Merieux Foundation, and other institutions to provide health care and humanitarian support to Haiti's most vulnerable populations. Deschamps has received national and international recognition for her contributions over many years to HIV/AIDS care and poverty alleviation. 

The devastating 2010 earthquake and Haiti’s sociopolitical unrest over the past five years — including the brutal assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, armed gang violence, sexual violence, kidnappings and other crimes — have destroyed the social fabric throughout much of Haiti. In the city of Port-au-Prince, where gangs terrorize and rule over large portions of the population, women and children are particularly vulnerable to gang rape, kidnapping and random killings. In this environment, Deschamps works with individuals and families to address conditions that impact not only the health and well-being of the population but also drive cycles of violence.   

Deschamps understands that changing community attitudes and norms requires an inclusive, multi-faceted, holistic and comprehensive approach involving education, collaborative communication and innovative strategies within the community. She introduced a global health model to GHESKIO, offering essential services to female heads of family and rape survivors, as well as access to health services, treatment for malnourished children, sanitation, job opportunities, and economic development for women to start small businesses. With 60 percent of the country facing food insecurity, Deschamps developed simple yet lifesaving and life-changing interventions by providing MONCASH transfers and food kits for 20,000 beneficiaries. 

Deschamps is a strong advocate for education, viewing education as an important foundation that is often the root cause of either positive change or delinquency. Annually, more than 20,000 families have been beneficiaries of the primary and vocational schools she helped to create in 2010. Today, 380 children attend GHESKIO's campus primary school annually and more than 2,000 scholarships have been provided to other children to pursue their education. These services give students a sense of structure and direction with a place to discuss, learn and play that have helped to shift mindsets and attitudes. Her interventions take guns away from adolescents and arm them instead with marketable skills and hope for future generations. 

Deschamp's commitment and ties to her community have helped to rebuild the social fabric. She has encouraged community leaders’ participation in outreach for social support programs and worked with the community advisory board to promote community empowerment and peace. Her efforts have led to training of community health agents and leadership opportunities for thousands of health workers living in violent neighborhoods.  

Abir Haj Ibrahim

Abir Haj Ibrahim is a co-founder of Mobaderoon, a civil society network in Syria that advises and trains community development organizations and promotes volunteering for positive social change. She is also the co-founder of Globally Connected, a network that supports and builds understanding between the Syrian diaspora, host communities and Syrians in Syria.  

Earlier, Haj Ibrahim worked in the oil sector in Syria. Haj Ibrahim’s experience during the Syrian conflict led her to dedicate her life to supporting and sustaining peaceful coexistence.  

Mobaderoon’s 4,000-member peacebuilding network transcends geographic and cultural boundaries. As part of an initiative launched in 2012, Haj Ibrahim designed a “Journey of Values” program to equip local actors and community mediators with the values, knowledge and skills to engage in dialogue, facilitate conflict resolution and foster peace in their communities. Mobaderoon enabled the participants’ collaboration across diverse cities to address local and national challenges.  

Mobaderoon’s gender-sensitive workshops have enabled local peacebuilders to develop contextual, effective methods for implementing change and shifting narratives around cultural norms and attitudes. Recognizing the roles of women and youth in peacebuilding, Haj Ibrahim has trained 240 peace ambassadors. By promoting dialogue among women and youth, Haj Ibrahim has channeled their perspectives into her participation as a civil society representative at Syrian peace talks in Geneva.  

According to a British Council survey assessing Mobaderoon's impact, 86 percent of respondents stated that their participation in Mobaderoon’s training had “a direct positive impact on their role as a citizen” and 83.5 percent described an increase in “their acceptance of other communities.” 

Haj Ibrahim’s approach to peacebuilding includes working on mediation across multiple tracks, both at the local and international levels. She has supported over 40 community-based organizations across Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Europe to enhance their local peacebuilding initiatives, working in strategic partnership with international donors for funding and resources.  She has also initiated three local peace committees and mediators’ network.  

Additionally, Haj Ibrahim has built the capacity of 18 community-based organizations (CBOs) with over 200 workshops providing mentorship, financial support and technical assistance. Mobaderoon’s self-sustaining model of supporting CBOs and networks has fostered local resilience, such as when community leaders collected and distributed funds and emergency care after the February 2023 earthquake in northern and western Syria. 

In 2021, following months of face-to-face consultations with civil society actors inside and outside Syria, Mobaderoon developed a “Citizen’s Charter.” This inclusive charter reflects the hopes and aspirations of Syrian youth, women, men, internally displaced persons, returnees and the diaspora. As the peace process stalls, the charter outlines a collective vision for Syria’s future and provides a unique opportunity to foster dialogue on issues such as displacement and community reconstruction. 

Haj Ibrahim has encountered and overcome several persistent challenges, including threats to her own personal safety. Her commitment to engaging in dialogue with marginalized and diverse civil society groups has earned her a well-deserved reputation as a highly respected peace practitioner.    

Pétronille Vaweka

Pétronille Vaweka is a senior mediator and coordinator for Engaged Women for Peace in Africa (FEPA), a network of women working in conflict-affected areas in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Vaweka co-founded the NGO Fondation pour la Paix Durable in 2000 to push for ceasefire, seek solutions to the war, and advocate for peaceful coexistence in her native province of Ituri. Her team was invited by communities and armed groups to negotiate peace agreements to end hostilities.

Vaweka was elected president of the Ituri Special Interim Assembly in 2003 with the mission to stop the inter-ethnic war, reconcile Ituri and the central government, and raise public awareness for peaceful cohabitation. As the district commissioner for four years, she implemented efforts to restore peace and security in Ituri. Pétronille’s mediation was an important element in the overall efforts to end the 5-year inter-ethnic conflict between the Lendu and the Hema that tragically led to the deaths of over 50,000 people. These efforts produced a nearly 10-year lull in the violence in Ituri. In her positions as President of the Special Interim Assembly and Ituri District Commissioner and, she was able to secure the restoration of state authority, education, justice and the opening up of roads.

In 2006, at the request of the United Nations, Vaweka successfully negotiated the release of seven U.N. peacekeepers detained by an armed group. Throughout her career, she also freed child soldiers and girls forcefully recruited into armed groups in the territories of Djugu and Mahagi, She has worked for the safe return of displaced people and opened lines of communication between torn communities. Through her sensitization efforts, Vaweka also actively contributed to the safe organization of elections.

Vaweka was a leading expert and trainer in conflict management at the DRC’s National Stabilization and Reconstruction Program for more than a decade before launching FEPA in 2022. FEPA is leading the formation of a network of women engaged for peace in eastern DRC.

Hamisa Zaja

Hamisa Zaja is the founder and chairperson of the Coast Association for Persons with Disabilities, a nongovernmental organization in Mombasa, Kenya, that works to empower persons with disabilities. Zaja is also a program officer with Maji Na Ufanisi (Water and Development), a charity that implements water and sanitation projects aimed at reaching the neediest and most vulnerable groups in urban and rural areas in Kenya. As a person living with a disability, Zaja is committed to building a peaceful society and providing opportunity and security for all. 

As a member and the locational peace chairperson of the Mombasa Peace Committee, Zaja facilitates peace meetings and dialogue within the region. Her mediation efforts have transformed conflicts, leading to peaceful coexistence and reduced violence in local communities. Through dialogue and negotiations, Zaja successfully resolved a land dispute in Kadongo, ensuring fair compensation for those forcibly evicted. She mediated between the Orma and Pokomo tribes in Tana River during a period of heightened tensions in 2012, promoting reconciliation and peace. 

A significant focus of Zaja’s peacebuilding work is aimed at providing alternatives to youth who are targeted for recruitment by violent extremist groups. Zaja has supported hundreds of youths in starting their own businesses, empowering them economically and reducing their vulnerability to violence. She established a resource center in Majengo that includes a computer training center, a tailoring school and a barber training center — providing vocational skills to marginalized youth. Majengo has been described as “ground zero” for recruiting youth into the Somali-based military group Al Shabaab. Zaja facilitated dialogue between youth groups and government authorities, addressing disappearances and police brutality.  

Zaja blends her peacebuilding work with development projects and advocacy on behalf of youth, women and persons with disabilities. Her involvement in infrastructure development initiatives — including resource centers, clean water projects and sanitation facilities — has helped improve living conditions for communities. Her garbage collection project not only addresses environmental challenges but also provides employment opportunities for youths. Zaja transformed Mombasa's public toilets into income-generating projects for youths, women and persons with disabilities, providing employment opportunities and diverting them from drug abuse, extremist activities and manipulation by political actors. She also initiated projects for toilets and clean water in Bangladesh Mikindani, an informal settlement, improving living conditions and reducing conflicts over limited resources.  

Zaja’s disability has only strengthened her efforts as a human rights defender. She advocates for improved security measures to protect communities from violence. She actively combats teenage pregnancies, female genital mutilation, child marriage and violence against women through multiple community initiatives. By raising awareness, challenging harmful practices, promoting gender equality and protecting women's rights, Zaja has influenced cultural norms and attitudes.