2006 Peace Writers

 

Jackee Batanda was born and raised in Uganda and attended Makerere University in Kampala, receiving an undergraduate degree in Communication Skills and French. She is currently a graduate student in Forced Migration Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. As a freelance journalist, Jackee published articles in the two daily newspapers in Uganda, New Vision and The Monitor. She was the general secretary of the Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE) and her work has been published in numerous countries. BBC 3 commissioned her short story, “Aciro’s Song,” set in an internally displaced peoples’ camp in northern Uganda. Batanda’s children’s book, The Blue Marble, was published by UNESCO-Paris, and her short story “City Link,” was adapted onto the stage and performed at the Fair Trade Campaign in London. Prior to her graduate studies, Batanda was writer-in-residence at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.

Batanda worked with Shukrije Gashi of Kosovo.

Narrative - "Seeking Freedom Amid Ruins"

 

Heather Farrell graduated with honors from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Peace Studies.  In 2005, she completed an intensive graduate course in Peace Research at the University of Oslo, Norway.  As a student at McMaster, Farrell was a teaching assistant and a coordinator of the Refugee Sponsorship Program for the World University Service of Canada.  She organized the annual Gandhi Peace Festival held at Hamilton City Hall and was a keynote speaker and facilitator at the Fourth Peace Education Conference, where she presented a paper entitled “E-Learning: Experiences Developing Online Learning Tools for Peace Education.”  In addition, she co-wrote an online textbook on peacebuilding in the health sector, an emerging field in peace studies.  Farrell is currently a co-facilitator of employment empowerment workshops for immigrant and refugee women at St. Joseph Immigrant Women’s Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. 

Farrell worked with Palwasha Kakar of Afghanistan.

Narrative - "Cradled in Her Arms"

 

Susan Van Schoonhoven was born in Washington, D.C. and relocated to Oregon for her undergraduate studies, receiving her bachelor’s degree in Theory and Application of Mass Media, Theater and Multimedia.  She has lived and worked in Japan and Germany and traveled throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. Van Schoonhoven graduated with a master's degree in Conflict Transformation from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vt. During her work with the CONTACT (Conflict Transformation Across Cultures) Summer Institute, she initiated the documentation of the experiences of a number of peace workers, allowing them the opportunity to reflect on their past work and future goals.  The theme of her most recent work is the empowerment of women and children from around the world. Van Schoonhoven is deeply dedicated to the process of transformation of conflict and human rights and to advancing women’s roles in these fields. 

Van Schoonhoven worked with Rebecca Joshua Okwaci of Sudan.

Narrative - "The Sacrifice of Honey"

Tragically, Van Schoonhoven passed away on Feb. 27, 2008.

Reflections by IPJ staff, peacemakers and peace writers
Obituary
Eulogy by Emi Noma
"Is Peace Possible? Women PeaceMakers in Action" - co-written by Van Schoonhoven