Ethiopia has been stressed for several years now by growing trends of interethnic (over 80 ethnic groups) and interreligious tensions, including incidents of deadly/brutal communal violence and violent mob attacks against minorities in various parts of the country and then of course the more recent armed conflict in the north of the country again based on ethnic tensions. The political power play coupled with the powerful use of social media as a means to mobilize forces of violence targeting young people without the proper understanding of the greater good has resulted in many of the instigated conflicts that have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and in billions of dollars worth of economic damages. Furthermore, intensifying the conflict is a multi-layer crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic and an inflamed dispute with Egypt and Sudan over the massive Ethiopian dam project, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Peace is a cornerstone of Rotary’s mission. Rotary is approaching the concept of peace with greater cohesion and inclusivity, broadening the scope of what is meant by peacebuilding, and finding more ways for people to get involved. Rotary creates environments where peace can happen. Through Selamawi, we engage in peacebuilding and conflict resolution which includes media and communications – messages delivered in multiple languages that seek to promote dialogue and understanding on key issues in society and seek to promote reconciliation processes.  An integral component of the project will be using social media communications delivered in multiple languages to promote dialogue and understanding on key issues in the society and using traditional cultural practices to resolve differences