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Meet our Newest Peacemakers in Action

Tanenbaum Peacemakers in Action Yeny Nolasco Quijada (El Salvador) and Fatima al-Bahadly (Iraq)

Dear Friends,

Amid the darkness that overtakes our newsfeeds, we’re here to celebrate two bright lights who work tirelessly for peace and embody what it means to be a Peacemaker in Action.

This International Women’s Day, meet our 2020 Peacemakers in Action awardees. They are two religiously-motivated peace actors in two conflict zones: El Salvador’s Yeny Nolasco Quijada, a Catholic woman with deep connections to the Mayan Cosmovision and Iraq’s Fatima al-Bahadly, a Muslim woman deeply embedded within her community.

Both exemplify peace. Both are driven by their faith. Both risk their lives for the chance of peace in the world’s worst conflicts. They join a Network of 30 equally motivated Peacemakers in Action.

Yeny, a Catholic woman with deep connections to the Mayan Cosmovision, works to reduce the influence of criminal organizations in her home country of El Salvador, adopting preventative measures aimed at providing alternatives to gang recruitment. Additionally, she forges partnerships within her community to address issues such as police violence. Fatima, a Muslim woman from Iraq, defies extremists by working with families displaced due to ISIS, educating marginalized women and girls, building community cohesion between Iraq’s minority groups, and de-radicalizing young men by visiting communities and providing basic needs and alternatives to joining groups like ISIS.

Both face threats, yet they persist, improving the lives of those with whom they work. We look forward to the future Peacemaker in Action Interventions they will create with lasting impact.

Join me in welcoming Yeny and Fatima to the Peacemakers in Action Network!

Rev. Mark Fowler
CEO, Tanenbaum

P.S. Celebrate Women’s History Month today by honoring Yeny and Fatima. Click here to join us at our 2021 Gala.