Source: Tearfund, November 5, 2020
Faith leaders can play a crucial role before and after elections. As ambassadors for peace, they can heal the hurts that divide people and promote unity. In this year’s election in Burundi, faith leaders were a beacon of hope, showing communities what a peaceful election could look like.
“Earlier this year, before the 2020 Burundi elections, we organized different workshops with faith leaders to equip and engage them to advocate for free, fair, and peaceful elections,” shares Désiré Majambere, who leads Tearfund’s work in Burundi.
“Elections in Burundi have often been marred by violence. We wanted to show people there was another way.”
After the Tearfund-run workshops, faith leaders took the message of peace into their communities. A prayer event was organized for the leaders and candidates of the political parties. Sermons on electoral participation and unity were crafted and delivered. Faith leaders even took to the radio so they could reach even more people.
Whole communities were discipled in peace and reconciliation. And it didn’t stop there. After the election, faith leaders continued to hold people together, and communities remained largely calm and peaceful.