Susan Granada
Nonviolent Action in Sri Lanka

Field Team Member, Nonviolent Peaceforce

In the midst of the 30-year-long civil war in Sri Lanka, Susan Granada is trying to get government authorities and members of the Tamil Tigers rebel group to talk to each other. As a field team member for Nonviolent Peaceforce’s Sri Lanka Project, Susan works to facilitate dialogue on issues such as child abductions, election monitoring and support for civilians. A recent surge in violence and abductions has made the Jaffna Peninsula, where she works, especially dangerous for civilians.

Despite the road blockades and endless security checks that must be cleared whenever Susan leaves Jaffna, she is hardly ever out of touch with her family in the Philippines. Hunched over her laptop in her office, she regularly laughs over instant messages from her son and daughters, strategically keeps up with text messages and phone calls in order to get the latest family news, and plans menus for the birthday parties she catches up on when she goes home to visit.

As difficult as it is to for Susan to be so far from her family, she believes that offering her skills and knowledge in a region rife with violent conflict is the best way to create the kind of world she wants for her children.