Tsiry Nantenaina Randrianavelo, a 2016 YALI alumnus, has been granted the “A Common Word Among the Youth Award for Community Activism”. ACWAY is a global youth movement promoting peace and understanding through local action, which aims to develop an international network of young leaders who deliver grass-root activities on co-existence and interfaith relations.

The award will allow Tsiry Randrianavelo to carry out a bunch of activities throughout this month. Basically, the “Breaking the silence of GBV through peacebuilding” project will raise awareness about any form of violence towards women and girls. As he explains, there is evidence that violence has increased significantly during the pandemic in Madagascar.

What events to expect?

To kick off the series of activities, Tsiry Randrianavelo will host a one-hour virtual live event which features three GBV activists and specialists, and includes experience sharing and testimonies. A peace-making campaign will run for seven days right after that; a simple one which is more like a social media challenge of spreading love, peace, good mood and thoughts.

The remaining two parts of the project will involve in-person meetups. Around 50 volunteers will take a peace walk and release balloons in which short letters of peace have been placed to represent their voices. On the third week, Tsiry and his team will close the activities with community service, mural painting and tree planting at an orphanage located in the capital city.

Tsiry’s initiative is carried out on a voluntary basis, and young people who committed to participating in two or more activities will be granted the “Peace Ambassador” badges. Peace ambassadors will be given the opportunity to join Move up Madagascar, a community of volunteers that Tsiry founded himself.

A point to note is ACWAY encourages interfaith collaborations. All volunteers are welcome to take part in this peace movement and GBV awareness initiative, regardless of their faiths and religious convictions.

About Tsiry Randrianavelo

Tsiry Randrianavelo is backed by over eight year of experience in Project and NGO management. He has been involved in various fields such as community engagement, youth empowerment, social and gender equality, peacebuilding, and climate activism. He founded and is currently the Executive Director at Move up Madagascar NGO. Besides, Tsiry has recently started a new path as a social entrepreneur.