Ahoka Peace contributor Rebecca Sargent recently wrote a post on rebuilding efforts in disaster zones. In her post she makes the important connection between reconstruction efforts and building peace throughout the affected communities: "Without proper rebuilding, the potential for violence in the region grows, as people are forced into alternative choices to feed, shelter and support themselves and their families. Peace can only truly begin to be built when people have access to their basic needs.

Both the aftermath of the Haiti and Chile earthquakes revealed the instable and volatile environment that arises immediately after a natural disaster; in these cases, with people looting and turning to violence on the streets. Without the necessary immediate (and continuous) resources and support, natural disaster have the potential to wreak long-term conflict in the affected region. Luckily, in the case of Chile, Ashoka Fellows are well-positioned as social entrepreneurs to bring forward effective solutions.

Ashoka Fellows in Chile, now accounted for and safe, have geared up to respond to the region's immediate needs. We encourage you to read more about how Ashoka Fellows are mobilizing efforts and resources in the aftermath of the Chilean earthquakes in this press release and to think about how their efforts contribute to maintaining peaceful coexistence throughout the region.

Landmines continue to take human lives far after a war has ended. For example, when war in Monzambique ended there were thought to be 3 million unexploded landmines. After wars end, innocent citizens are the most affected by strategically placed landmines.

Ashoka Fellow Bart Weetjens (who is also a Buddhist monk) has a unique solution to the problem of unexploded landmines. It involves local resources...rats! Bart's landmine detection business, APOPO, trains African Giant Pounched rats, who are highly resourceable, adaptable and intelligent creatures with a great sense of smell. These qualities make rats, who have been conditioned to associate the smell of the chemical explosive with a food reward, the best positioned to sniff out the TNT in landmines. In 2009 alone, APOPO made safe 700,000 square meters of land (about 127 football fields). Bart's work not only gets rid of landmines, but also reduces fear towards landmines among local populations. Check out how APOPO's landmine detection model works in the video below.

Kulsoom Khan works in Ashoka's global headquarters, helping to select Ashoka Fellows throughout Asia and coordinating with Ashoka's Asia country offices. She received her degree in Human Rights Law at American University.

Romina joined Ashoka in 2005 and works for Ashoka’s Youth Venture, primarily supporting and creating a strong global movement of young changemakers around the world. Read all of her posts here.

Ashoka Peace is proud to present a recently published article in the latest issue of Beyond Profit that describes the rationale and goals and inspiration behind our work.

In this article, we discuss the stories of two classic social entrepreneurs - Jerry White and Neichute Duolo - who came up with new solutions for problems of violent conflict, and through those stories, we begin to elicit the principles and patterns that are driving innovation in the peacebuilding field.

You can also read the article in full on the Beyond Profit blog.

We welcome your comments, suggestions and dialogue.

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Kissing the Tiger: Peace as a Pre-Requisite for Development

Roshan Paul and Sarah Jefferson

We don't usually cover issues of foreign policy or international diplomacy on this blog. Yet, lessons from successful social entrepreneurs can often impact or have implications for the approach that governments take to build peace on a global stage.

Ashoka Senior Fellow John Marks, founder of Search for Common Ground recently co-wrote an op-ed in The Chicago Tribune defending US President Barack Obama's approach to foreign policy. One of his key messages, after almost three decades of work in building peace around the world, is that "openness is the key ingredient to finding the highest common denominator" between both sides, and not a weakness as many of Obama's critics claim.

Read the article in full here and read more about Search for Common Ground's innovative approach to peacebuilding here.

Ashoka Fellow Karen Tse, Founder of International Bridges toJustice (IBJ), discusses her work building a movement of grassroots defenders and her vision of justice for all with Ashoka Peace.

It's been an exciting and affirming last couple of weeks for Ashoka Peace. Four Ashoka Fellows working to prevent violence and promote reconciliation have recently received significant recognition for their successes.

Betty Makoni from Zimbabwe was voted one of CNN's Top 10 Heroes of 2009. Then, we learned that Pastor James Wuye and Imam Mohammed Ashafa of Nigeria were announced as recipients of this year's Fondation Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention. And whilst we were still celebrating that, Eboo Patel from the United States was selected as one of America's Best Leaders of 2009.

It's not quite the way Buffalo Springfield intended it, but there is something happening here.