In our Peace and Development Ambassadors section, we met Arielle AHOUANSOU a 23 years old medical doctor from Benin with a sense of passion for peacebuilding, leadership development and community engagement working with youths in her home country Benin Republic.
Arielle is the founder of REFELD BENIN an NGO which has given educational materials to over 2000 children through the project “Illuminate Life of 2000 children”.
In early 2014, Arielle was selected to join the 1st African Youth Amani Fellowship in Thailand but could not make it because she got robbed on her way from Benin to Nigeria for visa by road. This only made her increase her passion for development.
In 2015, she organized a two days peace conference in Cotonou and Parakou Benin Republic bringing together about 750 youths in the university to engage them in academic excellence, community engagement and inner peace. She also organized the Benin Global Women Management Fellowship that was a two week retreat where 50 influential young ladies came together to discuss on the interconnection between peace and development.
We met Arielle at the 2016 Africa Peace Summit and our discussion did not fall short of her passion and achievements. She is one young woman who believes “peace is possible” and doing everything to maintain a culture of peace in her country.
Arielle believes that it is very important to encourage young people to see peace as not the absence of war but work collectively to build a culture of peace to ensure development since as the youths are the leaders of tomorrow.
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Wooow Ariel inspires mevto be better!! Great article!!
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