'Our homes are two minutes from each other but a peace wall makes it 20 minutes'
Summary
In Belfast, a large brick "peace wall" separates two women, Lily and Michelle, whose homes are only two minutes apart but require a 20-30 minute walk to reach each other. They became friends through a community program funded by the International Fund for Ireland, which works to build peace between Catholic and Protestant communities divided by such walls.Key Facts
- Peace walls separate nationalist Catholic and unionist Protestant areas in Belfast.
- Lily (Protestant) and Michelle (Catholic) live very close but are separated by a peace wall.
- Their friendship began through a cross-community project at Black Mountain Shared Space.
- The project is funded by the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), which has raised around £780m since 1986.
- IFI was created by the British and Irish governments to promote peace in Northern Ireland.
- Belfast currently has 39 peace walls, down from 59 in 2010.
- The program uses shared activities like art to help people from different backgrounds connect.
- Both women learned to understand and respect each other's cultures and identities.
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