Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative

06/04/2026

What starts as an idea can become an opportunity for an entire community.

Through a partnership between WPDI South Sudan and Gemini Africa, 55 entrepreneurs from across the Equatorias region participated in intensive business training, mentorship, and pitching competitions designed to strengthen their businesses and build practical skills in entrepreneurship, financial management, and leadership.

Following a competitive selection process, 18 entrepreneurs received seed funding and access to WPDI's business incubation support, helping grow businesses across sectors including agriculture, healthcare, retail, and technology.

These enterprises are creating jobs, expanding access to essential goods and services, and contributing to stronger local economies and more resilient communities across South Sudan.

Since 2018, WPDI and Gemini Africa have worked together to expand economic opportunities for young people, helping turn innovative ideas into sustainable livelihoods.

Read more:

June 4, 2026 – In May, WPDI South Sudan and Gemini Africa helped entrepreneurs across South Sudan take an important step toward creating or strengthening their businesses across the southernmost region of South Sudan, the Equatorias. Through the intensive training, mentorship, and business develop...

06/02/2026

30 senior women community leaders from Eerste River recently participated in a leadership training facilitated by WPDI South Africa, focused on strengthening peacebuilding and conflict resolution skills within their communities.

Already serving as active leaders and changemakers, the participants engaged deeply with topics including inner peace, conflict analysis, cycles of escalation, and practical approaches to managing conflict constructively. The training created a safe and empowering space for reflection, healing, and shared learning.

Many participants reflected on how meaningful it was to strengthen not only their leadership skills, but also their personal sense of peace and resilience.

One participant shared that the training “opened my thinking and gave me tools for managing conflict better.” By equipping women leaders with practical peacebuilding tools, trainings like these help strengthen families, neighborhoods, and communities from within.

06/01/2026

What does it look like when people work together?

At 📍 WPDI’s Community Learning Center in Chiapas, Mexico, WPDI México, young participants reflected honestly on the challenges and strengths of working together. Some spoke about moments where there was “no coordination” or “failure in communication,” while others shared how teammates stepped up, took initiative, and found solutions collectively.

These conversations are at the heart of peacebuilding. By creating space for dialogue, reflection, and shared leadership, young people are developing the skills to navigate conflict, collaborate across differences, and strengthen their communities together.

05/28/2026

What began as an International Day of Peace activity at a middle school in California has grown into a thriving Gaming Club where students are building empathy, connection, and belonging through play.

Through WPDI’s U.S.-based Domestic Harmonizer Program, up to 185 students now gather each week to collaborate, strengthen peer relationships, and create community together in a welcoming space designed around inclusion and positive interaction.

Discover how play became a powerful tool for connection in our latest webstory at https://www.wpdi.org/news/from-campaign-to-community-how-lake-center-middle-school-built-a-thriving-gaming-club-for-connection-and-belonging/

05/28/2026

In Yambio, community leaders are stepping forward with a shared commitment to peace.

Representatives from the State Ministry of Peacebuilding, the Peace Commission, Yambio Municipality, County Headquarters, the County Education Department, the County Land Authority, and other local institutions recently completed a five-day peacebuilding and conflict resolution training organized by WPDI South Sudan.

Throughout the training, participants strengthened their skills in dialogue, mediation, and conflict resolution, exploring practical ways to address tensions within their communities and institutions.

During the opening session, the Acting Mayor of Yambio Municipality encouraged participants to carry the lessons learned beyond the training hall and into everyday life, emphasizing the importance of transforming knowledge into action that strengthens peaceful coexistence. He also commended WPDI and its partners for supporting the initiative.

At WPDI, we believe peace begins at the community level. By equipping local leaders with the tools to mediate conflict, encourage dialogue, and foster understanding, we continue working toward stronger, more resilient communities across the world.

05/20/2026

In Uganda, where WPDI’s mission first began, conflict resolution training continues to plant the seeds of peace.

Today, those lessons have grown far beyond borders, equipping communities around the world with the tools to lead through dialogue, empathy, and understanding. ✨

05/16/2026

Peace begins with how we choose to live alongside one another.

On the International Day of Living Together in Peace, we honor the communities, young people, and peacebuilders creating spaces rooted in dialogue, dignity, understanding, and opportunity.

At WPDI, we believe peace is a skill, and together, it can be practiced every day. 🕊️

05/13/2026

We’re thrilled to see our Founder & CEO, Forest Whitaker, participating in the One Young World Summit 2026 in Cape Town 🇿🇦

A foundational part of WPDI’s mission has always been creating access to opportunity, education, and support so young people can lead lasting change within their communities.

This year, Forest will join young leaders and some of WPDI’s inspiring peacemakers from the Cape Flats for conversations centered on youth leadership, peacebuilding, and creating opportunity in communities affected by conflict.

Looking forward to collaboration in Cape Town!

05/07/2026

🌟 Women Leading Peace in the Cape Flats 🌟

30 women from the Cape Flats joined WPDI’s CRE Training, building skills to prevent, detect, and resolve conflicts in their communities.

The training covered:
✅ Conflict resolution & mediation
✅ Effective communication
✅ Peacebuilding & community dialogue
✅ Leadership & personal development

These women, part of the Women for Purpose program, are now equipped to transform their families, neighborhoods, and communities into safer, more resilient spaces.

💬 “I have found peace through this program. I can share these tools especially with the youth in my community.”
– Elsie Joan Nolusindiso Leputhing, Guguletu

💬 “This training has taught me better techniques instead of violence. I am grateful to WPDI for this opportunity.”
– Tania Nelani, Nyanga

04/28/2026

Access to opportunity starts with access to skills.

In Mexico, we're supporting youth and women with the tools to navigate today’s economy with confidence, from digital literacy to entrepreneurship.

Students are learning how to safely engage online and apply digital tools in everyday life, while women entrepreneurs are building and formalizing their businesses with skills in branding, finance, and strategy.

Together, these efforts reflect an integrated approach where skills translate into opportunity, and opportunity into long-term resilience.

🔗 Read the webstory: https://www.wpdi.org/news/from-skills-to-opportunity-advancing-livelihoods-in-chiapas/