Ambon

The peacebuilding program in Ambon, known as Maluku Ambassadors for Peace (MAP), works throughout the Maluku Province in Eastern Indonesia. It is based in Ambon City and has a network of six field centres in Ambon City and throughout the islands of Maluku. MAP, born out of the Young Ambassador for Peace (YAP) program, works through a committed group of Muslim and Christian volunteers and committee members.

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Major conflict erupted in the Maluku Islands in 1999. While a range of historical, economic and political grievances contributed to the conflict, the community was split along religious lines with those identifying as Muslims on one side, while those identifying as Christians were on the other.

MAP workshops includes a mix of members from both faiths and are organised to enable each faith to make their regular religious observances.

Progress has been made and at present there is a measure of peace. However, there is still underlying mistrust, fear, and suspicion, and many communities that were once integrated remain separated into Muslim and Christian sectors. A small incident can easily erupt into major conflict.

Over the last nine years, first YAP and then MAP have held over 23 peacebuilding workshops in Ambon– initially with women and young people and now including people from right across the community. The MAP workshops have been an important part of the tapestry of peacebuilding efforts in Maluku that have together contributed to the development of the more peaceful environment that exists today.

November 2011 Updates

The MAP program in Ambon has had an impressive impact on the lives, families and communities of members. Organisationally MAP is divided into six geographic field regions. Each region has a field coordinator overseeing it and then a committee of three people working with them.

There have been 23 workshops so far, including one workshop held in November, 2011.

The 36 participants of this workshop were a very diverse group,  and included retired men, workers, house wives and young people. While learning about peace and engaging in activities, the participants were clearly impacted by the workshop.

Downloadable Resources:

Project Sheet