VOICES
OF PEACE

Balkis Chaabane is an outstanding Tunisian peace and youth activist and the founder of Youth Transforming Narratives, the first youth-led movement dedicated to involving young people in peace and security processes. With experience at the UN, USIP, IREX, and USAID, she has trained hundreds of activists and strengthened youth participation in global decision-making processes. In 2024, she received the Global Women Power Leaders Award.

Modest Pesha is a theologian and community developer with 15 years of experience in community projects, pastoral care, and church leadership. He coordinates the ACT Tanzania Forum and the Waking the Giant Initiative Tanzania, and volunteers as a college chaplain in Dodoma. His work combines community development, faith, and indigenous knowledge.

Esther John Ndaluka is a Tanzanian youth activist and social worker. At the Child and Youth Development Center, she empowers disadvantaged children, youth, and communities through child protection, psychosocial support, and community-based care. As a youth ambassador for the ACT Alliance Tanzania Forum, she advocates for youth participation, gender and climate justice, and inclusive development.

Lasana Diakhaté is an economic planning engineer and project management specialist who advocates for youth rights and peace in West Africa. He promotes positive masculinity as a path to peace and was selected as one of 15 young people worldwide for the WPS Global Leadership Initiative. Through the MenEngage Alliance and as the youth liaison for Africa at Young WILPF, he brings young people’s perspectives to feminist and peace policy debates.

Amy Chan Kung Wai Ying, MH, is the co-founder and chair of the Child Development Matching Fund in Hong Kong, which combats intergenerational poverty. Through savings promotion, mentoring, practical insights, and career support, CDMF and its partners have empowered over 18,000 disadvantaged young people and opened up new opportunities for them. In 2025, she received the Medal of Honor from the Hong Kong government for her social commitment.

Juliana Gil Ortiz is a Colombian sociologist, feminist, and social researcher specializing in power and inequality in Latin America. She works with indigenous and rural communities in Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica on issues of gender, violence, displacement, peace, and socio-ecological conflicts. Drawing on her studies in public policy, gender justice, and Central American sociology, she integrates research, teaching, and community perspectives.

Nathalie Gendre heads the Gender and Security Division at the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) in Geneva. A Swiss attorney and political scientist, she has more than 15 years of experience in peacebuilding, women’s rights, and transitional justice. Previously, she coordinated DDRR programs for the IOM and served as an ICRC delegate. Nathalie Gendre is the author and co-author of various publications on transitional justice (reparations), DDR, and gender issues.

Rachel Kenny works in Tanzania for the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service in communications and advocacy. As a youth representative on the ACT Alliance Tanzania Forum and co-chair of the ACT Alliance’s Advocacy and Policy Reference Group, she helps shape national and international debates on gender equality, youth participation, and social justice. She is deeply committed to using social media and digital platforms as transformative tools for peacebuilding.

Natalia Serrano Álvarez is a sociologist and the coordinator of communications and advocacy at the Ecumenical Research Department (DEI) at the University of Costa Rica. She leads the «Faith and Democracy» campaign, which promotes dialogue between faith, human rights, the rights of nature, and the commitment to democracy. From a feminist, human rights, and liberation theology perspective, she works with social organizations and faith communities to strengthen women’s participation and harness spirituality for peacebuilding.

Elder (Chief) Ambassador Justina Mike Ngwobia is a Nigerian peacemaker, mediator, and gender justice activist. As executive director of JPRM, she strengthens the leadership roles of women and young people in peace processes and works with faith communities, civil society, and partners such as UN Women. In 2024, she was awarded the chieftaincy title „Ada Eji Eje Mba Ndi Igbo“ in recognition of her contributions to peace and community development.

Serena Koostachin was born in Moose Factory and spent most of her life in Attawapiskat, Ontario. In 2008, Serena and her sister were sent to New Liskeard to receive a better education. After her sister’s death in the summer of 2010, Serena moved to Attawapiskat, where her eldest daughter, Shannen, was born in 2011. Serena also completed training in social work as well as mental health and addiction. Today, she is the mother of two daughters and works at the North Bay Regional Health Centre as an Indigenous Navigator, where she supports members of her community.

Rev. Elga Sarapung is an Indonesian theologian, pastor, and peacemaker with over 30 years of experience in interfaith dialogue, conflict transformation, and human rights. She has led INTERFIDEI since 2003 and promotes religious diversity and peaceful coexistence. In Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific region, she advocates for peace education, religious freedom, and interfaith cooperation, and leads the Asia Pacific Women of Faith Network.