South Sudan Country Director Receives Award
Last week Tiffany Easthom made a stop in Minneapolis, the birth place of international NGO Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), as part of her North America fall tour. Tiffany is the Country Director for NP’s South Sudan project where nearly 100 Unarmed Civilian Peacekeepers have been working to protect civilians and prevent violence for over two and a half years.
Tiffany spent the last three weeks touring the US and Canada sharing accomplishments from the past year in South Sudan along with stories about the innovative work of their newest initiative, Women Peacekeeping Teams.
In March, Ms. Easthom was named 2012 Peacekeeper of the Year by Nonviolent Peaceforce. The organization’s Minneapolis chapter met last week at their US headquarters office to hear Tiffany speak. Donna Howard, member of the International Governance Council, was there to present the award.
Tiffany has truly been an impetus for development in South Sudan. Under her leadership, NP’s project in South Sudan has grown from the original two to the now eight field sites in five states.
She speaks with hope and enthusiasm for the future of the world’s youngest country as she shares about such projects as the Weapons Free Zone – a plan to work with the local community leaders and create South Sudan’s first entirely weapons free town.
This Canada-born peacekeeper has no shortage of accomplishments. Before directing the program in South Sudan, Tiffany served as the Country Director for Peace Brigades International in Indonesia and as the Country Director for NP’s first project in Sri Lanka
Her work has included the return and protection of child soldiers, the training of local women in protective strategies for conflict related sexual violence, the direct protection for refugees and IDPs, and the implementation of conflict early warning-early response systems.
Tiffany holds a Bachelor's Degree in Justice Studies and a Master's Degree in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Tiffany Easthom will be finishing up her North America tour at the end of this month with a stop in the West Coast. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear the 2012 Peacekeeper of the Year speak about the promotion of peace in South Sudan.