In 2005 a group of women set out to change this trend by nominating 1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize. One thousand women from 150 countries, each with remarkable stories of strength, passion and resilience were nominated and their stories documented in a publication, ‘1000 Peacewomen across the Globe’.
Eighteen-year-old, Fatmire Feka, who founded Kids for Peace, is one of the 1,000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. On a recent visit to Geneva, Switzerland sponsored by World Vision, Fatmire visited the World YWCA to connect with others who share her passion and commitment to peace.

Fatmire’s visit to Geneva was sponsored by World Vision International in an effort to connect her with people who share her passion and commitment to peace. Through this visit, Fatmire had the opportunity to meet another nominee for the 1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr Musimbi Kanyoro, General Secretary of the World YWCA, who was nominated for her efforts to address violence and injustice for women and girls worldwide.

Fatmire Feka was just 11 years old when the Kosovo War ended. Returning from the transit shelter, where her family took refuge during the height of the war, they found their town and home destroyed. With her elder sister and brother lost during the war, at 11 all she had was hatred towards the Serbs.

Remarkably, at her tender age, she begun to question the source of her hatred and long for a better solution to the pain and devastation the war had brought to her country. Inspired by the peace building programmes she had witnessed at World Vision’s transit shelter, she begun to conceptualise a programmes of her own: Kids for Peace. World Vision staff supported her to start a camp for children in Kosovo; convinced that once children interacted with ‘the other kids’ they would realise that religion is not to blame for violence. Through the camp, children from different ethnicities and religious backgrounds have been able to learn about Christianity and Islam in an attempt to understand each other better. “We respect our religion, but we can also respect others,” Fatmire says.

Today, Kids for Peace has 14 multi-ethnic clubs across Kosovo with 350 children actively involved. Each of the 14 camps has young leaders that report back to Fatmire and her supervisor at World Vision. Fatmire provides support and mentoring to each young leader as part of her commitment to keep the active leadership of the camps young and ensure that other young people can take over from her when she leaves for university next year.

“We need to think about the future of children,” insists Fatmire, this dynamic young woman with the courage to start an organisation at 12 years old, “there is no need for hate”. As the leader of a large and dynamic group and through her proactive attitude, Fatmire is helping to create a community filled with positive role models for children growing up in a post conflict area where bitterness and hatred still prevail.