Members of the London-based Peace Brigades also try to protect peace activists around the world by accompanying the activists as they live and work in their own countries. The presence of Brigades monitors actually helped save the life of a Colombian activist. Two armed men broke into his home, but when the would-be assailants saw the Brigades monitors, they left. Forces to Be Reckoned With Governments around the world are recognizing the value of NGOs, whose missions range from humanitarian aid, active war resistance and human rights promotion to peace education and research. They need partners to do the work.
Civilians tend to take more notice, too, when the peacemaker is someone they can relate to.
Barbara Wiedner leads an international anti-nuke movement called Grandmothers for Peace. She says her group always attracts attention, particularly when they're arrested for protesting. Most people remember their grandmothers fondly. PeaceBuilders, a commercial violence-prevention program, is taught at more than 650 schools worldwide. Students and teachers are taught to respond to each other with constant positive reinforcement, both orally and in writing.