Melanie Tomsons, Never Again International - Canada
"Dig deep and never underestimate the power of compassion in helping to make an impact and change the world."
Meet Melanie Tomsons, originally from Newfoundland, living in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is the the founder and director of Never Again International – Canada, an initiative that she started in 2007 to prevent genocide, eliminate the proliferation of child soldiers and defend human rights through education by building the next generation of humanitarians.
Never Again International - Canada delivers peacebuilding programming together with trusted partners, youth groups and human rights organizations in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The organization is a 17-year long labor of love for Melanie; 100% of the funds she raises are directed to the youth projects on the ground.
I am a firm believer that when we empower women and girls we can change the world. I seek partnerships with like-minded individuals and organizations who share my vision of making an impact on the world and advancing equality, community empowerment, and international human rights.
I met Melanie through a mutual friend, who is also a peace advocate and trainer, who had shared my post about the June 1st Young Refugee Artist Expo featuring the artwork of ten young refugee artists living in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
It piqued Melanie’s interest given her own art practice (she paints!) and the integration of art and other modalities of self-expression used in Never Again International - Canada’s programming.
I was curious about her too! The more time that went by (and the more pictures I saw on her Facebook page of Congolese children drawing, playing, and dancing, the more curious I was. I knew she had a story to share and am so pleased she agreed to participate on this my last day of the 61-day art and storytelling project!
I was particularly interested in her work, given the many Congolese refugees I’ve highlighted here in the last 60 days: Polydord Wasokye, Neema Chiribuka, Matendo Nzika, Andre Lutula, Liz, Pat Sabag, Elijah Astute, Muhindo Mutundi, Jules Shengo Faraja, Akon Deograce (and many of the Nakivale Young Talent Community artists), Musa Munga, and Ansiima Casinga Rolande.
The Making of a ChangeMaker
Melanie comes from a multidisciplinary background, starting university with a desire to major in Chemistry and then switched to Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She then studied for several years at McGill University and was a research student with the Study in Africa program where she helped engage fellow students on how they could participate in the program as well as travel to Africa.
In the early to mid-2000s, she got more involved in efforts related to human rights in Africa. She volunteered with the African Canadian Cultural Heritage Centre in its fundraising efforts to establish a presence in Winnipeg. She also became active in campaigning for action to assist Darfur and was asked to sit as a member of the Save Darfur Canada Coalition to work to end the atrocities there. In that capacity, she organized a Prayer Vigil and March for Sudan on the Global Day for Action on Sudan in 2006. She also volunteered with STAND Canada and helped them organize a Winnipeg rally devoted to raising awareness of ongoing human rights violations in Sudan.
I have always been actively involved in international development and youth-related issues and have always wanted to make a difference by alleviating the suffering of others.
While at McGill, she arranged for Canadian Romeo Dallaire, the force commander for the UN peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, to come and speak about his experiences.
The talk he gave inspired me to work towards genocide prevention and African development and to focus on what I could do for those who were victims of these atrocities. I realized I needed to go to Africa to discover where I was needed most and first went to Rwanda in 2007.
1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda Fueled the Founding of Never Again International - Canada
Melanie travelled to Rwanda in 2007 with the idea of “getting her boots dirty” and solidifying youth partnerships in Rwanda in preparation for launching Never Again International - Canada in earnest.
The hearts of the youth of Rwanda have fueled my desire to work towards genocide prevention. In Rwanda, I had the opportunity to see, first hand, some of the devastation caused by the genocide.
After walking through the dirt roads of Rwanda in the countryside where children now use their machetes to cut back the grass, I continue to wince at the thought of how the children and machetes were used as instruments of war just 30 years ago.
The atrocities that occurred in Rwanda while the world turned a blind eye continue to haunt me. The images stick with me, continue to motivate me in my work in Canada, and affirmed my resolve to be a part of the force ensuring that nothing like the Rwandan genocide ever happens again.
I want to eradicate the use of children as an instrument of conflict and focus on engaging youth leadership in creating a sustainable peace. I want to act as a voice of the people who were silenced during the genocide.
After speaking with youth across the country, I began to realize I had found my calling. I wanted to work to help youth and other disadvantaged people in Africa find their own voice in their own development.
I have found that one of the most powerful ways to promote peacebuilding advocacy is through music, theatre, dance, art and sport.
When she returned from Rwanda, one of the youth peace leaders who had been instrumental in helping her build connections with youth groups in the country needed to complete his education but lacked the funds to do so. It was at this point that she realized her mission had to be inclusive of an "education" component. She arranged for him to finish his schooling but soon found a similar situation but on a much larger scale when she expanded programming into the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014.
We originally started small, only sending 8 of the 350 children in the peacebuilding centre to school. But, I have have been increasing how many kids are able to afford an education by supporting more childrens' school fees every year.
Coming from a family of philosophy professors, I realized quite early on the importance of an education in creating opportunities and concur with Mandela when he said that it is the most powerful weapon with which to change the world.
DRC: Trauma Reduction Therapy and Artistic Expression
Since 2014, Never Again International - Canada has been working to advance the protection of children in the DRC in the midst of a global humanitarian emergency.
I worked hand-in-hand with our youth leaders in the DRC to organize a peacebuilding camp to educate war-affected youth, including former child soldiers which examined the role youth can play in becoming engaged global citizens who advocate for social justice initiatives and genocide prevention in their communities.
Year-long after-school programming (for children in or not in school) as well as a summer-long Peacebuilding Camp are offered through a collaborative international leadership team of former child soldiers, youth who have lived through genocide, and survivors of gender-based violence. The team includes youth leaders on the ground who are trained in emotional therapy, particularly for working with war-affected children and youth in fragile contexts.
The Peacebuilding Camp runs all summer long (depending on the funds raised) and engages war-affected and vulnerable children in a positive way to participate in activities around the themes of stopping the use of child soldiers and preventing the spread of genocide ideology. When the camp ends, several of the children are empowered to start school and participate in afterschool engagement activities.
All programs integrate trauma reduction therapy and opportunities to exercise their capacities holistically through theatre, arts, music therapy, cultural dance and sports.
The art therapy portion of our programming has proven to be particularly effective for children in conflict zones to express their fears and trauma and also hope for the future.
Youth in conflict zones are learning to express their emotions, advocate for peace and prioritize gender equality.
By educating children to become human rights advocates we are planting seeds of hope and training children to become advocates of global peace with an understanding of humanitarianism, environmental stewardship and social justice. Youth ChangeMakers promote peace and gender equality worldwide, and advocate in their communities to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The positive feelings of empowerment that the children feel when they share their original artwork with the world and realize their creative works are being viewed around the world uplifts the children as they educate and inspire others and can have a powerful impact on affecting change.
Outreach and Education in Canada
Melanie travels to schools, universities and churches in Canada to speak to students about genocide prevention and stopping the exploitation of child soldiers as weapons of war and encouraging youth participation in peace building activities.
Sharing learnings with Canadians has been something she has done from the beginning.
When raising funds for my trip to Rwanda, I was fortunate enough to be supported both by a Ukranian man by the name of Michael Koziar who had lived experience of the Holodomor and by members of Trinity United Church who even shared special messages to connect with the children I was working with in Rwanda. Upon returning to Canada, I gave a powerpoint presentation about the trip and that started me on my journey to reach out to schools and churches to raise awareness about how youth have the capacity to make an incredible difference.
When I give presentations, I generally start with stories from youth on the ground who are advocating for a better world. When the audience listens to the story, they often want to find some way to become more meaningfully engaged.
Melanie’s ChangeMaker: Dr. Denis Mukwege
Dr. Mukwege is perhaps the finest example of how one person can make a difference in the fight to stop mass rape in conflict zones.
Dr. Denis Mukwege is at the forefront of the battle to protect women against the brutalities of sexual gender-based violence in the DRC. As the founder and medical director of the Panzi Hospital, a facility that has treated over 85,000 women who are survivors of sexual gender-based violence, Dr. Mukwege is a devoted advocate for the rights of women. In a country where rape is a recognized weapon of war, the Panzi Hospital exists as a beacon of light for the survivors.
As a result of his inspiration, youth of Never Again International – Canada are working to educate their peers about sexual gender-based violence, end impunity and advocate for gender justice.
My passion for peace and helping victims of sexual gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo directed me to partner with Make Music Matter to coordinate the inaugural visit of gynaecologist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege to Canada. Funds raised were donated to the Panzi Hospital, a DRC-based institution dedicated to helping victims of sexual gender-based violence in the DRC.
Dr. Mukwege’s advocacy work inspired me to shape the goals of Never Again International – Canada - to prioritize gender equality as a fundamental component of building peace through human rights advocacy to achieve justice for all.
Dr. Mukwege inspired me to work on empowering youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to raise awareness amongst their peers of the ongoing oppression that violates women’s human rights and to galvanize the international community not to be complicit in the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Melanie’s Advice to Next Generation of ChangeMakers
Melanie’s advice to aspiring changemakers is to dig deep and never underestimate the power of compassion in helping to make an impact and change the world.
I would encourage aspiring changemakers to embrace the idea of radical hope and to each day wake up and ask themself the question: How can I make a difference in someone else’s life today?
Everyone can inspire hope through their actions and use their unique talents and gifts to help turn their dreams into reality. Each and every one of us has the capacity to shape a better world and play a role in advocating to build a culture of peace.
I would encourage aspiring changemakers to harness their capacity to empower others with hope and to create an organization that inspires compassion without borders by embracing our common humanity.
I would encourage all aspiring changemakers to ask yourself how you can best use your gifts and talents to act as a beacon of light in someone else’s world.
Where in the World is Melanie?
Our Canadian Ubuntu Family should get together. After the screening everyone had ideas on how to come together and work together. It’s up to Kumara and them how to imitate the process. ❤️🙏🏽