Eco-diplomacy is literally a ground-breaking tool that the Peace Committee has mastered in building peaceful and unified communities. River cleanings in Addis Ababa, BahirDar, and Jimma have taught us that riverine communities can be brought together through our continued presence, the interaction of coffee ceremonies, and the transfer of skills through workshops. Community compost training has fostered economic development as the residents have learned to sell their compost material and generate income for their families. We have provided the Akaki community with seeds for vegetables and flowers, whose harvests are used for their own consumption and income. More than 81 very poor families, living in the Akaki riverine community in the center of Addis, were positively impacted by 10 rounds of river cleaning by over 200 Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends from more than 12 participating Clubs and who collected over 3,500 kg of trash. Several Peace Parks are being groomed with over 400 native species of plants and trees planted as well as 8 vegetable gardens and one bee apiary with 250 beehives. Organically, 2 Rotary Community Corps have been formed and registered with RI, Ehet (sister) and Kotsa (beehive), empowering the communities to increase their impact and ensuring the sustainability of the project work. The One Love Peace Bus sits on the edge of the “Bella” peace park, addressing youth unemployment by providing entrepreneurial opportunities in various sectors of the economy such as hospitality, market gardening, and waste management. A Peace Festival is being planned to inaugurate one of the peace parks on World Peace Day with Jalud, our Peace Ambassador, and his original reggae music for Peace.
