Maria Abaker Osman, 32, is the head of gender and peacebuilding unit, Institute of Peace and Development Studies, University of Zalingei, in Darfur, Sudan. A lady on a mission! Apart from teaching students at the University on Gender and Peacebuilding, she co-facilitated the conflict analysis in Golo, a town 120 km northeast of the state capital, Zalingei, for the UN SG's Peacebuilding fund's project jointly implemented by UNDP and UNICEF. She has been working with the project for the last 18 months.

Peacebuilding to Maria means all efforts meant to reduce conflict and promote peaceful coexistence, involving government, community, national and international players. More so in her region, as Darfur conflict has been ongoing since 2003 and although improvements are observed in recent past, its root causes are not completely resolved to maintain an air of unpredictability.

Maria has been directly involved in the project since she works for the University of Zalingei, implementing partner for the Golo project. Maria, in her role as Head of Gender and Peacebuilding Unit, has trained over 900 youth (40% female) of Central Darfur on mediation techniques; peaceful coexistence; formal and informal gender and peacebuilding initiatives. As a result, the youth organized a series of peace events in Golo, which included inter-tribal soccer matches, drama, music activities advocating the importance of peace. These events were attended by over 1,000 people from the Fur and other local tribes who are directly influenced by a flare-up of tensions. Under her guidance, these trained youth are currently building peace committees back in their communities across Central Darfur servicing as local peace ambassadors.

"The Peacebuilding Fund's funded project has played a catalytic role for Central Darfur. I urge the world to support Darfur communities particularly Golo since it remains the epicenter of multiple conflicts in Darfur because of its proximity to Jebel Marra, a hot spot for armed conflict. In the meantime, a rights-based approach on maintaining and building peace would be ideal, augmenting the strides made by the PBF funded project. Women in Darfur want peace and we will utilize all our strengths to bring peace to Golo, Darfur since we are the ones bearing the biggest brunt of the conflict," says Maria Abaker Osman.