Nzubechi Uwaleme

A peace and development professional with more than five years of experience in the nonprofit sector where I designed, implemented, and managed programs for youth and community leaders. I am passionate about developing local capacities for peace to facilitate sustainable programming for stability in communities at risk of violence outbreak. Also, I am passionate about creating intergenerational platforms to facilitate trust-building between youths and adults, as well as fostering meaningful participation of young people in peacebuilding and social development.

I have a Master of Global Affairs degree in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame where I gained 21st-century skills in policymaking, strategic peacebuilding, and conflict transformation.

I currently serve on the Board of Afripeace Sustainable Development Foundation, established in 2014, as an independent, collaborative African partner, and an affiliate of the AfriPeace Development Foundation, with headquarters in the U.S. to promote sustainable peace and development through conflict resolution, leadership development, and peace education skills training. Between January and June 2018, I designed and implemented the Students for Peace Network project where I facilitated the peace education training for 150 school-aged youths in the north-central region of Nigeria. This enabled me to establish peace clubs while supporting a range of other programs, like the annual peace camps in Nigeria.

I am a recipient of the Joan B. Kroc Institute Fellowship in 2018, a program that awards scholarships to scholar-practitioners in peacebuilding to pursue a graduate program in international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame, USA. Also, in December 2016, I was recognized as an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), a network of over 500 young leaders promoting the values of the Commonwealth.

My interest in youth leadership development earned me a place as one of the first emerging African leaders selected by the Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy and Ethics, Inc. (CSAAE) in November 2013, where I subsequently became the project manager in November 2016 to work with 75 youths within the organization to develop social projects for the development of their communities.

I have worked with community leaders, youth peace activists, development experts, and state actors on local peacebuilding projects in Nigeria, Kenya, and the United States