There is a Swahili proverb which goes “wapiganapo tembo nyasi huumia” that means when the elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled”.

War can wipe out years of progress in a single bomb blast to a school or hospital. It can take away a teacher, nurse, engineer or parent with one pull of the trigger. It can cause a life time of anguish with a rape of a woman or killing of a child.

Peace building is about development. Poor countries are four times more likely to suffer a major conflict than more developed ones.

In a world marked by conflict and divisions of all kinds, Caritas is committed to work for a positive peace that tackles the underlying causes of conflict and allows healing and reconciliation, rather than for a negative peace that results in a temporary end to violence.