Tell us something about yourself. 

I am now in my 21 years of teaching. I am one of the TPBPM Peace Champions trained last January 2018 in Davao City. I advocate for children and peace education. 

Tell us about your role in TPBPM.

I am one of the formators for parents in Lanao del Sur. I am also involved in creating modules for peace education and TPBPM’s After-Care program.

What are the highlights of your experience with TPBPM?

I am involved in TPBPM’S different peace-building and formation activities in our community and outside of our community. Most of these experiences, I have seen the true face and social status of our kababayan, who mostly concentrated on economical survival but forgot the importance of mental health and peace in their lives. Having received a compliment that some participants have personally thanked me and the TPBPM as the organizer for making them realize that in life, it’s not about survival of living and success, it’s about being at peace at happy in co-existence with other pople. 

What have you learned from TPBPM that you have applied in your life?

The importance of inner peace. In our journey in this world, you will never gain the true feeling of fulfillment and happiness if you don’t have your inner peace. You may be at peace with all but you may not be at peace with yourself. And if we lose this essential peace in our life, we will be in sorrow and struggles even how much we tried to show how okay we are. And without inner peace, we lose the meaning of life. We could hardly understand our surroundings and it could worsen our relationship with others.

What’s your advice for young women who wants to advocate for peace?

Let them be an instrument in Peacebuilding and start to rekindle their inner peace before starting their journey of advocating for peace, they would more productive and helpful if they have their inner peace.

Peace is — 

having the happiness to live with yourself and with others, you can appreciate nature and everything in this world. Peace must start with ourselves before we could offer peace to others. Remember that peace doesn’t only means the absence of war or conflict but it’s also the presence of happiness in co-existence with others. Finding appreciation and value in everything is also a sign of having peace. Having the desire to take care of others and nature, the concern that we feel in any situation is also a sign of peace. Our religion Islam is peace, and it’s a way of life it’s where we can have a common understanding of the common good. It instills us peace.