2017-01-01 Zambakari Peace Article
Our Peace Fellow Working for Peace By PDG Jim Green - RC of Sun City
Christopher Zambakari came to the USA from war-torn Sudan in 2001, after witnessing the atrocities of one of Africa’s most horrendous conflicts that had cost the lives of 2.5 million people and forcefully displaced millions more. He and his family became US citizens. Christopher’s studies led to a MBA in Finance and a Doctorate in Law and Policy. However, his dream of working toward world peace through conflict resolution had not been realized. When he returned to Phoenix in 2012, he learned about an academic and practical experience plan that would satisfy his greatest dreams – The Rotary International Peace Fellowship, one of the most coveted Fellowships in the world.
In 2012, Christopher contacted Rotarians Janet and Bob Gooltz at the Rotary Club of Sun City West. They began the mentoring process, and the Club sponsored him. In November, Christopher was notified that he was one of the very few Peace Fellowship recipients. The destination: the University of Queensland, Australia. The outcome: one of the most exhilarating experiences of his life.
The course of study included two very demanding terms at the University, which ended with a peace conference, and then a four-month internship at the internationally prestigious Berghof Foundation in Berlin. The internship focused on security, development and strategic intelligence. After the Foundation internship, Christopher returned to Australia for a final term at the University.
When he returned to Phoenix in 2015, Christopher was so energized by the power of his Rotary learning experience that he formed The Zambakari Advisory that provides evidence-based consulting services in Africa and the Middle East.
Christopher recently wrote, “In 1945, Paul Harris remarked, ‘The way to war is a well-paved highway, and the way to peace is still a wilderness.’ The challenge for my generation is to stand on the shoulders of the previous generation and build a sustainable peace fit for the challenges of this Century. . . we must not be afraid to travel down uncharted roads if we are to build peaceful societies, piece by piece.”
Christopher is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Sun City West and a Paul Harris Fellow.