ISCAN’s Founder, Billy Batware is from Rwanda, where he lived through the civil war and the genocide until he was 13 years old in July 1994. Having experienced violent conflict and its consequences first-hand, he fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), then Zaire, where he lived as a refugee. In a DRC refugee camp, Billy volunteered for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and met aid workers who supported him and other refugees. This was a life-changing experience that marked the beginning of what would be Billy’s peacebuilding work. In the refugee camp, he helped UNHCR in providing needed support for himself and other refugees in the camp. In doing so, he witnessed acts of humanity and found a purpose that helped him to cope with the experience of the conflict and the difficult environment he was living in.

Over the course of his life as a refugee, Billy’s main source of existence and healing was education which was made possible by support provided by humanitarian groups. In schools and helping others, he found a place of safety and a purpose. Billy became an education and peace activist during his studies and went on to found three education Non-Governmental Organizations to empower young people through education. iSCAN is one of them. As a certified trainer, Billy has since trained over 300 people from all over the world on conflict management and intervention strategies.

Now working for the United Nations, Billy is a living example of what is possible when the right support is provided to the most vulnerable. The support he received from different individuals and groups played a critical role in his healing, as well as his professional development. Inspired by the story of the young boy in a refugee camp and the many testimonies belonging to the people he has trained, Billy came up with the idea of supporting other young people like he was supported when he was in a refugee camp at the tender age of 13. From his own experience, Billy understood that if other young people affected by conflicts can be provided with an effective supporting mechanism, they can make a vital contribution to conflict prevention and the maintenance of peace and security in their communities, countries, regions, and around the world. Most importantly, they can find purpose in their lives, and rather than live with traumatic conditions and the impacts of conflicts, they can heal from the conflict-induced wounds and become the core of peacebuilding efforts. That is the role of SOLVE. To find young people with potential for high impact and empower them to solve conflicts and contribute to maintaining peace and security in their communities.