Nobel Women's Initiative

"The Nobel Peace Prize is not awarded for what one has done, but hopefully what one will do." These are the words of Betty Williams, who in 1976 along with Mairead Maguire, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to end the sectarian violence in her native Northern Ireland.

Williams was drawn into activism after witnessing a car crash in August 1976. A runaway car driven by Irish Republican Army member Danny Lennon, who had been fatally shot while fleeing from British soldiers, crashed into a family of four who were out for a walk. All three children; Joanne, John, and Andrew, were killed. Their mother, Anne Maguire, was critically injured. She committed suicide four years later, saying that she could not go on.

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After witnessing this tragedy, Williams immediately began to circulate petitions against the violence and, in less than forty-eight hours, had over 6,000 signatures. When Mairead Maguire, the children's aunt, heard what Betty had done, she invited her to the children's funeral. On the day of the funeral, Betty and Mairead met with journalist Ciaran McKeown, who joined the two women in co-founding Peace People, an organization dedicated to nonviolence in Northern Ireland and throughout the world.

Determined to use this tragedy to push for an end to the violence, Betty and Mairead organized a peace march to the graves of the Maguire children.  More than 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women came to show their support. The following week, 35,000 people marched with Betty and Mairead, demanding an end to the violence in their country.

In the thirty years since the award, Williams has devoted her life to creating a new way forward, a movement to begin a reversal of thinking on how we deal with the injustices, cruelty and horror perpetuated on the world's children.

"Governments do not have the answers," says Williams. "Indeed quite the reverse. A lot of times they not only do not have the answers, they themselves are the problem. If we are committed to helping our world's children, then we must begin to create solutions from the bottom up."

Williams currently heads the World Centers of Compassion for Children International, which was founded in 1997 in honour of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The organization is headquartered in the Republic of Ireland, and is building the first City of Compassion for children in the Basilicata Region of southern Italy. Williams is also the Chair of Institute for Asian Democracy in Washington D.C. Williams is the recipient of dozens of honours, including the Schweitzer Medallion for Courage and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award.

 

Nobel Peace Prize

World Centers of Compassion for Children International