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About us

Strengthening Christian institutions for reconciliation.

Our story.

The beginning

The Great Lakes Initiative (GLI) began in 2006 as a gathering of Christian leaders from seven countries in the Great Lakes Region of East Africa: Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. Most of these countries have known unrest, ethnic violence and internal strife in one way or another over many years.

There was a felt need for Christians to come together as ambassadors of Christ’s ministry of reconciliation.

GLI over the years

  1. 2006Christian leaders from seven countries gather for the first time.
  2. 2006–2010Four gatherings, co-convened by Duke University’s Center for Reconciliation, Mennonite Central Committee, African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries and World Vision International.
  3. 2011The gatherings become the first annual Leadership Institute.
  4. 2015In January, GLI is registered as a non-profit in Uganda.

Who we are

GLI is a network of Christian organisations working towards peace and reconciliation in seven countries of the Great Lakes Region of East Africa. For over a decade, GLI has provided a space for reflection, renewal and refreshment for Christian leaders. GLI is governed by a multinational board of directors. The day-to-day work is managed by a Regional Coordinator supported by a secretariat of accomplished professionals, who carry GLI’s mission and vision to a regional and global audience and support in-country, inter-country and regional programmes.

What we do

The annual GLI Leadership Institute is our main programme. Through plenary sessions, worship, formal seminars and informal conversation over meals, it gives leaders rich theological content and space to imagine and reflect on practices that build peace, using a theological, contextual and practical approach. Rooted in the region, self-organised Country Working Groups have formed in each country, committed to reconciling families, communities, organisations and nations, and sharing stories of hope even where new life is hard to imagine.

How the work is supported

The four founding partners have been, and continue to be, the primary funders of GLI. In its first year of legal existence, GLI received funding from an anonymous US foundation to cover start-up costs and deepen its regional rootedness, helped by Country Working Group representation on the Content and Design Team. This team makes sure the content, DNA, methodology and design of the GLI Institute are shared, internalised and applied by a growing number of Christian leaders in each country.

How we link and partner with other peace actors

The Country Working Groups partner with other actors in their own areas in context-specific ways. Their leaders are committed to transformative leadership in their own context and with other leaders in the region, and they are a pool of future faculty for the annual Institutes, where their successes are celebrated. GLI is also preparing a Christian Theology of Reconciliation Curriculum, to become a teaching resource in African seminaries and Christian institutions of higher learning.

Our founding partners

  • Duke Divinity School
  • Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
  • African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM)
  • World Vision International