Meet Punam: From a Dream for Quality Education to a Voice on the Global Stage

Sometimes, change begins with a dream.

For Punam, that dream has always been simple yet powerful: Quality Education for All.

Her belief in the transformative power of education has shaped much of her journey, from her work in Nepal to her connection with the wider MasterPeace community. Over the years, MasterPeace has given her opportunities not only to learn and connect with people from different backgrounds, but also to share her own ideas and vision beyond the community she started in.

Punam's journey with MasterPeace began in 2012, when she became connected with MasterPeace Nepal, working under the legal umbrella of Peace for People.

What began as an opportunity to connect with a wider community gradually became an important part of her personal and professional journey. Through the network, she encountered people with different experiences, perspectives, and approaches to peace and social change. These connections helped her reflect not only on the issues she cared about, but also on her own role in creating positive change.

At the heart of that journey was her belief in education.

Punam has long seen education as one of the most powerful tools for creating a more equal society. But having a dream and having the opportunity to share that dream with the world are two very different things.

MasterPeace helped bridge that gap.

In 2018, Punam travelled from Nepal to the Netherlands to participate in the Great Minds Meeting. There, she had the opportunity to share her experiences, ideas, and vision for “Quality Education for All” with people from different parts of the world.

For Punam, the experience was about much more than travelling to another country or attending an international gathering. It was a moment of recognition—the realization that an idea born in Nepal could find space in a global conversation.

Standing on an international platform and speaking about a dream she had carried for years strengthened her belief that voices are never too small when people are given the opportunity to be heard.

The experience also became an important step in her personal growth.

Over the years, her journey with MasterPeace has connected her with people from different cultures and backgrounds, encouraged her to listen to perspectives different from her own, and helped her become more confident in expressing her ideas.

Most importantly, it helped her recognize the value of her own voice.

Her journey is a reminder that change does not always begin with something big.

Sometimes, it begins with an idea.

Sometimes, it begins with a connection.

Sometimes, it begins when someone gives you an opportunity to share what you believe in.

And sometimes, it simply begins with the courage to speak.

Looking back at her journey since 2012, Punam sees how much she has grown. Peace for People and MasterPeace gave her more than a space to dream. They gave her a platform from which she could share that dream with the world.

Her participation in the Great Minds Meeting in the Netherlands remains one of the meaningful milestones of that journey. But for Punam, the destination was never the point. It was another step in a much longer journey toward creating positive change.

Today, her dream of Quality Education for All remains as strong as ever.

She continues to carry forward the knowledge, relationships, experiences, and opportunities gathered along the way, using them to contribute to her community and inspire others to believe in the power of their own ideas.

For Punam, MasterPeace is more than an organization or a network.

It is part of a journey that taught her to dream, believe in her voice, and have the courage to take that dream to the world.

And perhaps that is one of the most powerful forms of peacebuilding: creating spaces where people can discover that their voice matters—and giving them the opportunity to use it.

On 8 August 2026, MasterPeace Pakistan joined forces with Caritas Pakistan and Mera Karachi Group for a day of environmental action at Tor-Karachi Island, Karachi, planting an impressive 2,500 mangroves as part of a coastal ecosystem restoration initiative.

Reaching the island by boat, volunteers, families, young people, and community members came together to get their hands into the muddy coastal soil and take part in the plantation. Beyond simply planting trees, the activity offered participants an opportunity to experience firsthand the importance of protecting and restoring Karachi’s fragile coastal ecosystems.

A particularly inspiring part of the day was the involvement of children and young people. By turning environmental awareness into a hands-on experience, the initiative encouraged a new generation to see themselves as active custodians of their environment. Each mangrove planted became a small but meaningful contribution towards a healthier coastline and a more resilient future.

Mangroves play an important role in coastal ecosystems, supporting biodiversity, stabilizing sediments, and strengthening coastal resilience against erosion, storms, and climate-related impacts. The 2,500 mangroves planted at Tor-Karachi Island therefore represent more than a one-day achievement—they are an investment in the long-term health of Karachi’s coastline.

The initiative also demonstrated the power of collaboration for environmental action, bringing together civil society organizations, community groups, families, and young people around a shared commitment to Peace with the Planet.

One mangrove may look small today—but 2,500 mangroves can grow into a forest of hope for tomorrow.

Kadri Gashi has spent more than 23 years working in civil society in Kosova. As the Founder and Executive Director of SIT-Center for Counseling, Social Services, and Research, his work has always centred on the same things: gender equality, prevention of gender-based violence, youth empowerment, and counseling services. He knew his field well. What MasterPeace gave her was a wider lens.

"Don't focus only on discussing the problem; focus on finding the solution."

His path to MasterPeace came through colleagues in Albania, who introduced his to the team and its mission in 2019. The first contact was an online meeting with a MasterPeace coordinator — not a grand event, just a conversation about vision, values, and how they might work together.

"What impressed me most was the openness, trust, and genuine commitment to creating positive change. From the very beginning, I felt that this was more than just another network — it was a community of people who truly believed in empowering young people and building peace through action."

That first conversation was enough. Kadri was in.

Over the years he became part of several MasterPeace initiatives — the DoUth project, focused on youth participation and social innovation; DoAct, empowering young people to take action in their communities; work around the Doughnut Economy methodology; and broader regional collaborations on peacebuilding, inclusion, and active citizenship.

His first in-person experience came at a MasterPeace Bootcamp in Wiesbaden, Germany — and it stayed with him.

"Meeting so many inspiring people, feeling their positive energy, openness, and willingness to share experiences. The atmosphere was very welcoming, and the beautiful place in Wiesbaden made the experience even more memorable."

It confirmed what he had begun to sense from the start: MasterPeace was not primarily about projects. It was about people, relationships, and building something together.

Before MasterPeace, Kadri's focus was naturally local — his community, his work, his corner of Kosova. Through the network, that focus expanded.

"Through MasterPeace I learned to see the bigger picture."

His understanding of peacebuilding shifted too. Where he once thought mainly in terms of responding to problems, he began to think more about creating conditions — building trust, encouraging dialogue, opening spaces where people feel included and capable of contributing.

"Peace is also about creating connections, building trust, encouraging dialogue, and empowering people to become active contributors in their communities."

What has stayed with him most is not any single project, but the feeling that ran through all of them: a sense of belonging he describes, simply, as family.

"People support each other, share experiences, and work together toward common goals. It has been the relationships, trust, and friendship built among members and partners that have inspired me the most."

Connections that started as project collaborations became real friendships — people from different countries and backgrounds, held together by shared values and mutual respect.

Those values show up in his everyday work now: in how he approaches collaboration, how he listens, how he designs projects for young people. The introduction to the Doughnut Economy methodology through MasterPeace opened new ways of thinking about sustainability and community development that he's carried into his own initiatives.

When he introduces MasterPeace to someone new, he doesn't lead with the programmes or the network. He leads with the feeling.

"It is a community of people connected by shared values, trust, and the belief that positive change is possible."

And his advice to anyone just starting out?

"Stay connected with the values of MasterPeace, be open to learning, and take part in more in-person meetings — because the real strength of MasterPeace comes from the connections, relationships, and experiences we build together."

The words he reaches for when he thinks about MasterPeace: Connection. Empowerment. Trust. Empathy. Network. Belonging.

Above all, belonging.

MasterPeace Champions Edition celebrates the people who've grown alongside the movement — and helped it grow in return.

Igor from Croatia will tell you his MasterPeace story started with two things: music and art for peace. Simple as that. What he couldn't have told you in March 2014, when he walked into his first Bootcamp in the Netherlands, was where that beginning would take him.

"What started as one Bootcamp became a lifetime of friendships, partnerships, and opportunities to create positive change."

That first Bootcamp left a mark. Meeting passionate people from all over the world, sharing ideas, creating together, and realising that everyone in that room wanted the same thing — to make their communities better — was, in his own words, an unforgettable experience. It's still the memory that comes to mind first when he thinks about his time with MasterPeace.

More than a decade later, Igor runs MasterPeace Croatia through his organisation LUMEN, and the scale of what's been built is striking. Youth exchanges, training courses, workshops, community art projects, local initiatives promoting active citizenship and intercultural dialogue — thousands of young people have come through these activities over the years.

One of the most visible marks MasterPeace Croatia left on their city is Walls of Connections — a project that brought together local and international artists to create permanent street art in public spaces, while connecting young people, artists, and everyday citizens in the process. The kind of thing you can still walk past years later.

"MasterPeace taught me that lasting change starts with local action. Even small initiatives can inspire an entire community when people work together with creativity, respect, and a shared vision."

From that foundation, Igor's involvement grew into coordinating international Erasmus+ partnerships — first as a partner in ACT for Liberty and DOUACT, and now, from 2024 to 2026, as coordinator of Halan We Grow, a project run together with MasterPeace Netherlands and partners from MENA countries, supporting young people through creativity and social entrepreneurship.

He reflects on the distance travelled since that first Bootcamp.

"Looking back at 2014, I could never have imagined that one day we would lead international partnerships and support organisations from Europe and the MENA region. That journey gave me confidence in my abilities as a leader and project manager."

The path wasn't without challenges. Keeping international cooperation alive through COVID-19, and later working alongside partners affected by conflicts in the MENA region, tested the network. But the MasterPeace community kept finding ways to stay connected, adapt, and support each other.

"That resilience showed me the true value of an international community."

What has changed most for Igor, beyond the projects and the partnerships, is how he thinks about peace itself.

"Peace is not only the absence of conflict — it's also about creating opportunities, dialogue, inclusion, and cooperation."

And then there are the friendships. People met through Bootcamps and projects who became close friends and trusted partners across different countries, who still visit each other and develop new initiatives together. For Igor, those relationships are among the greatest outcomes of his entire journey.

He sees that same ripple effect in the young people around him — more willing to volunteer, to travel, to believe they can make a difference. More connected to an international community than they would have been otherwise.

When he describes MasterPeace to someone new, he puts it simply: a global family of people who believe that peace is created through action.

His advice to anyone starting out?

"Be open to every opportunity, don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone, and say yes to new experiences. The people you meet through MasterPeace may become lifelong friends and partners."

The words he reaches for when he thinks about MasterPeace: Friendship. Diversity. Creativity. Cooperation. Trust. Hope. Action.

Ten years on, all of them still ring true.

MasterPeace Champions Edition celebrates the people who've grown alongside the movement — and helped it grow in return.