In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Despina Namwembe, a social scientist and regional coordinator for the United Religions Initiative (URI) in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Namwembe discusses her work coordinating dozens of grassroots interfaith organizations to address the area's complex challenges, primarily focusing on violence prevention, environmental protection, and community empowerment. She details the drivers of conflict, including political instability, resource competition, and identity-based extremism, while also sharing heartbreaking stories about the human cost, such as the plight of refugees, the recruitment of child soldiers, and the trauma endured by women. Namwembe highlights URI's strategy of providing long-term psychosocial support, fostering economic independence for women through small business initiatives, and utilizing indigenous knowledge for sustainable development. She ultimately calls for a global shift away from a purely numbers-driven aid model towards a more empathetic, long-term investment in the human-centered, grassroots work necessary for lasting peace and stability.
Despina is a social scientist with a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies. She coordinates the work of over 70 grassroots interfaith organizations doing different social action in the Great Lakes countries of Africa. Despina is a community organizer, trainer, and mentor in organizational development and peace work. Growing up on a continent that sometimes fuses strong customs with religion to deter the full participation of women, Despina has a passion for addressing issues that support women and girls to achieve their full potential. She has widely traveled, which has helped her conceive many “out of the box” solutions which have changed lives. She is also a contributor to different literature in the areas of interfaith, gender, environment and peacebuilding work.