Giving Tuesday: Standing Together for Safety Without Violence
Conflict is inevitable, but violence is not.
This Giving Tuesday, communities around the world are proving that safety is possible when people come together with courage, compassion, and the tools of nonviolence. From the Philippines to Ukraine to Sudan to the U.S., Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) works alongside local leaders who are protecting one another without weapons—even in the midst of crisis.
And on this day, support from donors goes twice as far, thanks to a $15,500 match from our dedicated supporters.
Communities are Protecting One Another Amid Violence
Around the world, communities living through conflict are showing what is possible when neighbors protect neighbors.
United States: “De-escalation takes extra effort, but it goes a long way.”
In the U.S., politically motivated violence and hate-fueled incidents continue to rise. Researchers, including our partners at the Bridging Divides Initiative, report a 9% increase in political violence in 2025 alone. Seeing these threats firsthand, the team at Korean American Civic Empowerment (KACE) knew they needed a way to keep their community safe during public events—they reached out to NP.
NP trained KACE staff and youth in unarmed civilian protection (UCP), including situational awareness, de-escalation, and community-led safety strategies. Those skills were put into action when a man angrily confronted a group of youth running a voter registration drive. Instead of escalating, KACE volunteers used NP’s techniques to redirect, calm, and safely defuse the situation.
Sudan: “We are still here, and we are still protecting each other.”
After being displaced by civil war, Amal, a Women Protection Team leader trained by NP, immediately began rebuilding safety networks for women and girls. Even while fleeing violence, she continued organizing safe pathways, providing psychological first aid, and ensuring survivors of gender-based violence could reach confidential support.
When families arrived with almost nothing in Tawila, in Sudan’s decades-long war-torn Darfur region, NP activated emergency teams to coordinate safe passage, help reconnect families, and support those most at risk such as the elderly, people with disabilities, and children who arrived to the refugee camp without adult family members. “We didn’t stop when we were displaced,” Amal told us.
Ukraine: Protection for the Protectors
In eastern Ukraine, volunteers led by frontline workers like Bogdan, founder of the Kramatorsk Association of Volunteers, evacuate civilians under constant threat of drones and shelling. To increase their safety, NP provided 20 frequency analyzers (FAs) to detect incoming threats to volunteer groups like Bogdan’s—because those who protect others deserve protection themselves.
“We feel supported, not as numbers in a report, but as real people doing this real work on the ground,” shared Bogdan.
Philippines: Building Safety through Nonviolence
In a region where the presence of small arms and light weapons has often been seen as normal or a necessity, Chairwoman Ambuh Mhar led her village to become a weapons-free zone. Despite living with osteomyelitis, a chronic infection in her bones and identifying as a person with disability (PWD), Ambuh Mhar knew she had what it took to lead this initiative with confidence. She reminds herself daily, “It’s about possibility, not disability.”
What she and her community were able to accomplish is just one piece of their vision. Through a series of meetings organized by NP, local civilians concluded that sustainable peace for their community would require more than just the absence of violence; it also requires the presence of opportunity, education, and safety.
Across continents and contexts, people like Amal, Bogdan, and Ambuh are proving that violence is not inevitable, and protection is possible.
Why Giving Matters Today
We are living in a moment when violence—whether political, racial, gender-based, or fueled by disinformation—threatens the fabric of our communities.
But every day, we witness the opposite: people choosing safety, accountability, and nonviolence.
Support during Giving Tuesday helps ensure more communities receive training in unarmed civilian protection, more volunteers have life-saving tools, and more families everywhere can live without fear. And with our $15,500 match, your gift is doubled.
Your support helps:
- Train community safety teams across the U.S.
- Equip volunteers in Ukraine with tools to detect threats
- Strengthen women-led protection networks in Sudan
- Prevent misinformation-driven violence in Iraq
- Expand weapons-free zones in the Philippines
This is what it looks like to invest in peace.
Join Us This Giving Tuesday
Violence doesn’t have to be our future. People around the world are proving that peace is still possible. But we need your partnership to keep this work alive.