Welcome to Shanti Mitra

In 2007 some young people, mainly students from colleges in Mymensingh, decided to do something to build peace. They received inspiration and support from Taize brothers who are living locally. When they first started they were all volunteers. They went to poor areas of the town where were different kinds conflicts in families and in the communities.

They started with children because they believe if children learn peace building skills the patterns of conflict they experience will not be repeated in the future. They started peace classes in the schools in those neighborhoods using creative methods like puppet shows, drama and role plays. They also talked with the children about their experience of conflict and how they can handle these non-violently.

The group was from different faiths (Muslims, Hindus and Christian) and also from different ethnic groups (Bangali, Garo, Hajong etc.) They share a common vision for peace. They started to work in order to bridge the gap of trust between different faiths and ethnics groups.