MCC appoints new Regional Peace Advisor for Southern Africa

Written by ANiSA Associate

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has announced the appointment of Mulanda Jimmy Juma, who comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as the new MCC Regional Peace Advisor for southern Africa.

Jimmy Juma, as he is known, holds a Masters degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, and has served as a Research Assistant at St. Augustine College of South Africa in Johannesburg.

Jimmy was previously the Director of Dag Hammarskjöld Centre for Peace, Good Governance and Human Rights at Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in Zambia and supervised the Africa Peacebuilding Institute among other projects. Jimmy comes with field experience in Burundi, Colombia, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, South Africa, Sudan and Zambia, specializing in peacebuilding, reconciliation, stress management and trauma healing, human rights, electoral conflict management and post-conflict reconstruction.

He has been an Associate member of the MCC Regional Peace Network (now the Africa Peace Network), Southern Africa, since 2000. Jimmy’s ongoing doctoral research focuses on human security using rights-based approach to development and attempts to analyse the impact on local communities of former combatants’ reintegration programmes in the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Jimmy and his wife Dina Esperance, replace Carl and Carolyn Stauffer who were with MCC southern Africa for 16 years. The initial part of the Stauffer’s assignment was one conflict resolution and mediation training withWilgespruit Fellowship Centre in Roodeport. After working with Wilgespruit for six years they envisioned and brought into being a regional peace building role which Carl held for 10 years.

The MCC Regional Peace Advisor (RPA) will function as a regional ‘peace convener’ by facilitating the connection of ideas, people, organizations and resources for peace-building in Southern Africa. It is expected that Jimmy will maintain linkages among principal peace role-players in the region (both individual and organizational), and engage with peace builders from various sectors of society who are committed to transforming conflicts in the region. The MCC Regional Peace Advisor will collaborate with MCC country programmes and local peace partners from across the region around peace capacity-building, peace education and training, conflict intervention, advocacy, networking, and information sharing and raising public awareness.

Bruno Baerg, MCC’s Southern Africa Associate Director, states, “We are very excited about Jimmy filling this role and being part of the MCC Southern African team. The fact that Jimmy’s history is rooted in the African context, that he is very familiar with the region, having lived and worked here for many years, that he has a long connection with MCC through Carl and Carolyn Stauffer and other MCC workers on the continent, will all bode well for his ability to step easily into the role and help us move forward.”

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), is a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, that shares God's love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. MCC envisions communities worldwide in right relationship with God, one another and creation.

For more information regarding MCC’s work in Africa, visit http://africa.mcc.org/.