In 2006, The Global Peace Exchange was founded as a student organization at Florida State University to create sustainable, grassroots development projects through student exchanges. Not only would local communities receive benefit at the grassroots level, but students would also be exposed to opportunities in the humanitarian field.

GPE functions to foster the construction of a new civilization founded on mutual cooperation and understanding to support development and peace in the world. The hope is that students achieve a shared understanding of the common human struggle to survive, a moral and ethical education about the issues affecting a particular area or culture, and the hope to aid in the building of a new “civilization” of humanity.

This summer, GPE will conduct participatory research in the community of Kinyinya, Rwanda. Kinyinya is a small village located just outside of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. After the Rwandan Genoicde, Kinyinya was developed as a community for the individuals who were most affected by the genocide; the majority of them were children. While the intentions behind creating the community were good, the creation had an adverse affect, resulting in child-led households, low education levels, and economic stagnation. Although non-governmental and aid organizations have attempted to assist Kinyinya, we believe that there are community needs that are not being addressed because the individuals of the community are not being directly heard.

Our three-month project will utilize interviews, surveys, and participatory video as medians for directly assessing the needs of the community. This three-fold research methodology will allow the community to speak on behalf of themselves and what their needs are, rather than them being assessed through an indirect lens. Our research will culminate with the production of an analytical report and an original video that will showcase community members' opinions on what areas of development should be focused on within Kinyinya. This final product will be used to advocate for Kigali to non-governmental and development organizations. We hope that our assessment strategy will also be adopted by local non-governmental organizations as the main method for correctly assessing community needs thorough participatory research.

In order to cover the cost of research expenses for the three-month project period, my fundraising goal is $4,000. Any contribution, no matter how small, will be of extreme benefit to GPE's objective and the community of Kinyinya.

To learn more about GPE's previous projects in Rwanda and across the world, please visit our website www.globalpeaceexchange.org, or contact me directly with any and all questions, events@globalpeaceexchange.org

Thank you in advance for your compassion and support!