About US
Peace Through Children
Our Mission: Cultivating a global peace movement inspired and led by children.
Children are the essence of how we can create peace, one generation at a time. By inspiring and empowering them to lead, we lay the foundation for a sustainable and peaceful future.
We are dedicated to nurturing this transformative movement, ensuring that children are at the heart of global peace efforts, shaping a world where their voices lead us toward a brighter tomorrow.
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Our Vision—we embrace a dual interpretation of children leading a peace movement at Fields of Peace:
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Inspiration through Prioritization
We believe that placing children at the forefront of peace efforts underscores their voices and needs as the primary focus of adults responsible for decisions that affect their well-being and state of peace. Children should not be an afterthought but rather the guiding force as we design programs to advance peace for them. By prioritizing their perspectives, we aim to create environments where children feel safe, heard, and empowered to influence decisions impacting their lives.
Leadership through Action
Children are not only the heroes and beneficiaries of our programs but also the active agents of change. They are today's leaders, with their voices amplified to shape the decision-making process. As they grow, they continue to engage vocally in social, economic and political discourse, influencing decisions for future generations. By nurturing a model where children lead locally and across borders, we empower them to guide decision-making, ensuring their needs and perspectives are central throughout their lives.
Staff, Board, & Advisory
Reem Ghuniam
Executive Director
Reem Ghunaim is a leader in peace-building and social impact, serving as the Executive Director of Fields of Peace. With a commitment to global peace, Reem has been entrusted with evolving the organization's mission to inspire and drive a global peace-building movement, particularly focusing on children affected by conflict.
Reem spearheads the Generation Peace Program, emphasizing cultural exchange, citizen diplomacy, and positive peace principles to address peace inequality and promote global solidarity. By connecting children from conflict-affected and peaceful regions, it not only fosters cross-border friendships and mutual understanding but also educates American children about US foreign policy and its impact on their friends in conflict zones, fostering awareness and engagement.
While Palestine serves as the initial focus, the Generation Peace program is designed to expand its reach to other conflict zones and regions in the future, aiming to address the pressing needs of children worldwide. The purpose of this endeavor is to cultivate a worldwide peace movement led by children, with the vision of advancing peace, country-by-country, within a single generation.
Prior to joining Fields of Peace, Reem was the International Outreach & Development Deputy for Solidarity 2020 and Beyond, where she supported and advanced the work of 75 grassroots movements in over 40 countries. She also served as Executive Director for Rotary Action Group for Peace, leading the expansion and strengthening of their network of community leaders through various internationally acclaimed programs. Through her efforts and during her tenure, the organization’s outreach expanded from 20 countries to over 125 countries.
Reem's dedication to peacebuilding has been recognized with various awards, including the 2021 Global Peace and Humanitarian Award for her international peacebuilding work. Her academic journey includes a Rotary Peace Fellowship at the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center (2012-2014), where she earned her Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning and a certificate in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. She is also a Positive Peace Activator and a Global Peace Index Ambassador for the Institute for Economics and Peace, the leading think tank on measuring global peace.
In addition to her executive roles, Reem has served on the boards of several international organizations, including Hands of Peace and Combatants for Peace. Her personal mission is to dismantle stereotypes and elevate the voices of the oppressed by cultivating mutual understanding, promoting Positive Peace, and protecting Human Rights for all. You can reach Reem via email here.
Charles Busch
Founder, Writer
Charles is the founder of Peace Village Inc., and Fields of Peace. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and served 20 years as a parish minister. A former U.S. Marine and partner in a New York City engineering firm, he is a graduate of Trinity University and Harvard University. You can reach Charles via email here.
Lydia Asana
Board Member
Board member has lived, studied, and worked on three continents. She purposefully integrates cultural and research competencies in collaborative efforts, particularly in global health and sustainable development services. She holds several degrees including a PhD in Public Policy & Administration focused on international NGOs. Her most valued roles are wife and mother.
Ryan Gallagher
Board Chair
Ryan is the General Manager of an organic cacao farm and tree-to-bar chocolate company in Hawaii. He earned a degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. He served in the US Peace Corps (RPCV ’07-’10) working with subsistence farmers in rural Burkina Faso, West Africa. Most of Ryan’s career has focused on using marketing for good to advance nonprofit missions and social enterprises, from the Pacific Northwest to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ryan is a proud father and uncle—understanding the responsibility we have to ensure all children live free of war.
Bior Garang
Board Member
Bior is a South Sudanese refugee, community rebuilder, peace advocate, and microbiologist. He is the director of Sixty Four Voices for Peace, a youth refugee organization in Kenya. Bior and his family are among the few direct survivors of the infamous 1991 Bor Massacre in South Sudan. He has since spent the past 30 years living as a refugee in Kenya. Bior was the first ever American Society for Microbiology (A.S.M) youth ambassador to South Sudan. Bior frequently engages in youth & women empowerment activities with a focus on social strengthening and community rebuilding.
Wayne Martin
Board Member
A retired clergyman, hospice chaplain, and committed public advocate, Wayne is a Vietnam veteran and holds a doctorate from Boston University in Religious Literature. He is devoted to the mandate for social justice and equity at the core of Judeo-Christian sacred writing and history. Wayne is involved with his community in Eugene, Oregon.
Michael F. Osterer
Board Member
Michael F. Osterer is Chairman and founder of UE Systems, a leader in plant asset reliability through ultrasound. He also founded and is Chairman of Radon Testing Corporation of America, and Westchester Consultants. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Fordham University and lives in New York.
Martha Payne
Board Treasurer
Martha marched in peace protests in San Francisco in the early ‘60s. Although she is a lifelong peace advocate, two sons, and one grandson served in the military and experienced the effect of war on all involved. Martha holds a BS in Business from PSU and a Juris Doctorate from Lewis & Clark College. She continues to practice international law and provides pro bono support to Fields of Peace. Martha is a mother of 7, grandmother of 18, and great-grandmother to many. When not traveling the world, she lives with her husband on the Oregon Coast.
Annabelle Schwartz
Board Secretary
Annabelle is an activist and political organizer building relationships for a more just world. She graduated magna cum laude from The New School where she studied political theory, especially as it pertained to democracy and radical politics. She currently lives in New York City.
Advisory Board
Suman Aggarwal, Ph.D
Founder & President, Shanti Sahyog Center for Nonviolence (India)
Patrick T. Hiller, Ph.D
Executive Director, War Prevention Initiative
Rod De Luca
Former Board Chair, Fields of Peace
James Samson Owaka
Program Coordinator, Centre for Peacebuilding & Strategic Studies (Kenya)
Kim Stafford
Prof. Emeritus Lewis & Clark College
Founder NW Writing Institute
2018-20 Poet Laureate of Oregon
David Swanson
Founder & Director, World Beyond War
Alex del Vecchio
Peace Village Inc.
Our Reach
The Promise and its complementary resources and initiatives are casting ripples around the world.
