Across the URI Network
From strengthening violence prevention in Nigeria to supporting communities affected by floods in India, from youth peacebuilding in Bulgaria to dialogue initiatives in Syria, URI’s network is turning connection into action.
These stories offer a glimpse into the people and communities shaping peace in their own places and the power of a global network that helps those local efforts connect, grow, and inspire one another.
Compassion in Action: Assam, India
When deadly floods swept through Assam, homes were destroyed, livelihoods disrupted, and families were left facing an uncertain road ahead. In the midst of this devastation, the Bheraldi Rural Development Association, supported by URI East India, stepped in to help.
A truckload of essential supplies was sent to Amguri, bringing food and other necessities to families who needed them most.
In moments of crisis, compassion often begins with people simply showing up for one another.
Across the URI network, these acts of care remind us of what connection makes possible: communities coming together to care for one another, for the Earth, and for all living beings.
Garden of Peace: Bulgaria
Thirty young people from across Bulgaria spent three days in Sofia doing something rare: actually meeting each other.
BRIDGES, URI Europe's "Garden of Peace" camp, took them into a synagogue, a mosque, and several churches, trading assumptions for real conversations.
It closed with a concert of music, dance, and poetry, capped by a live link-up with youth in Cape Town and a reminder that this work has company on every continent. As one organizer put it, young people shouldn't just talk about change; they should drive it.
Peace Caravan: Syria
In Salamiyah, Syria, 24 young women and men spent several days learning a skill most adults never do: telling the difference between what people say they want and what they actually need.
It's the first phase of the Peace Caravan, a partnership between Bond for Community Development and the Ismaili National Council in Syria, built to help participants see past a conflict's surface to its roots.
They'll go on to lead their own community dialogues, turning understanding into the kind of peace that holds.
Promoting Interfaith Cooperation: South Sudan
South Sudan Youth Interfaith conducted a one-day workshop in Juba, held at the African Inland Church premises, on the Role of Youth Toward Peace and Reconciliation.
Bringing together young people from different faith backgrounds, the workshop explored how youth can bridge divides, promote dialogue, and heal wounds within their communities.
Discussions centered on the power of unity across religious and ethnic lines, and the responsibility young people carry as peacebuilders.
The workshop affirmed that youth have a vital role to play as peace ambassadors across South Sudan, carrying the message of reconciliation into their families, schools, and communities.
Religion and Technology Roundtable
Where do AI, technology, and faith meet next?
URI recently brought together technologists, faith and Indigenous leaders, lawyers, and nonprofit practitioners in San Francisco to explore this question.
The conversation looked at how technology can strengthen grassroots work while keeping human dignity, equity, community, and social responsibility at the center. It is an early step toward the work of URI’s new Innovation Lab.
Kuza Kipaji Youth Engagement
Kuza Kipaji Cooperation Circle, in the URI Great Lakes Region brought young people together for a day of learning, sharing, and growing through the Ubuntu Peace and Leadership Training.
Participants engaged in interactive sessions, presented their own ideas, and explored the values of peace, leadership, teamwork, respect, and unity, skills that will guide them well beyond the classroom.
The training closed with a shared snack session: a simple moment that turned lessons into laughter, and strangers into friends.
Plant Distribution in URI East India.
The URI East India Regional Coordinator led a plant distribution initiative across various villages, promoting environmental education and sustainability at the grassroots level.By putting plants directly into the hands of community members, the initiative encouraged a deeper connection with nature and a shared responsibility for protecting the environment, one village, one plant, at a time.
