Maltese selected to be peace pioneer

21-year-old Francine Caruana has been selected as one of 35 young participants in the 2010 Nkabom Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme.

Francine, a University of Malta student, is an ardent youth activist.

Beating stiff competition from over 500 other international applicants, she has emerged as Malta’s sole representative in a group of 28 nationalities.

The Nkabom Programme is a flagship project of the Royal Commonwealth Society, the oldest and largest non-governmental organisation devoted to Commonwealth affairs.

Nkabom (pronounced ink-a-bom) means 'coming together' in parts of Ghana where the programme was first held in 2004.

Next month, Francine, together with the other selected applicants, will go to Kigali, Rwanda for an interactive 10-day programme focussing on international understanding, peace building and conflict resolution skills.

Rwanda, the Commonwealth’s newest member state and where the average age is 18, will be an ideal setting for an initiative that propagates the potential of young people to be agents of peace and development.

Francine said: “I am delighted to have been offered a place on the programme, especially given its focus on peace building and conflict resolution. I am a big believer in the power of diplomacy.’’