More info about the Creators of Peace UK team

Amina Dikedi-Ajakaiye
A facilitator and trainer for Creators of Peace an advocate for community engagement and personal transformation, focused on fostering dialogue, healing, and empowerment across diverse groups. She has been actively involved in the work of the Initiatives of Change (IofC) since 1982 where she met the work in her native country Nigeria. Originally a teacher, Amina decided to change her profession and run a fashion business in Lagos (1987 - 1996). While involved in her profession, Amina remained involved with IofC as a volunteer. She served as a member of the IofC International Coordination Group 1996 – 1999. In 2001 Amina and others launched an international pan-African ethical leadership programme across Africa for 10 years. In 2013, Amina was contracted as Project Leader to support the South Sudan Initiative for Peace and National Reconciliation. From 1994 to 2013 Amina served as International Coordinator to Creators of Peace (CoP), a global network of women in 50+ countries using Creators of Peace Circles, workshops, personal encounters, community building activities and international conferences to effect change.  Amina has been a Board member of IofC Nigeria since 2012 and was a member of the IofC African Coordination Group (ACG) 2007 - 2010, and from March 2014 to 2017, as convenor of the ACG.  Amina served two terms as the President of Creators of Peace International (2017- 2023) and was a trainer for the Dialogue for Social Cohesion module of IofC UK’s Refugees as Re-Builders course (2024-2025). Amina co-designed the Collective Healing Circles (CHC) project, which addresses the wounds caused by slavery and imperialism as part of UNESCO's 30-year program "Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty and Heritage." She is currently a facilitator and trainer for this programme in the UK and internationally.

Alice McCarthy Sommerville
Living on the South Coast of the UK, Alice is a Researcher and Programme Coordinator at the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace, a think tank in the areas of positive peace, collective healing, holistic wellbeing and ethical governance. She coordinates the UNESCO Collective Healing Circles and Intergenerational Dialogue and Inquiry initiatives. She is also a Trustee and Volunteer Coordinator at Seaford Environmental Alliance, a local charity supporting community and environmental regeneration through public learning and social action projects and initiatives. Alice is the founder of Everybody’s Seaford, a community-rooted movement to inspire hope and connection across cultures within the local area. Alice home educates her two children and loves bicycles.

Lucy Nichol
Is a passionate advocate for human rights, inclusion, and sanctuary, serving as Council of Sanctuary Coordinator at Oxford City Council, where she led the city to achieve City of Sanctuary accreditation and developed its action plan. She is also Director and Co-Chair of Iraqi Women Art and War CIC, supporting women affected by conflict to share their stories through art and fostering healing, dignity, and creative expression.

With many years as Head of Services at a local refugee charity and extensive experience in community work and leadership  across the voluntary and statutory sectors, Lucy has worked locally and internationally on peace, social cohesion, and lifelong learning education projects. Holding a Master’s in Development specialising in Forced Migration and Human Rights, she brings a deep understanding of displacement, resilience, and community-building to her peace work.

A proud mother of two boys, Lucy is known for her warmth, humour, and approachable nature. Outside her professional life, she enjoys literature, classical and jazz music, and long walks in nature with her family and beloved Springer Spaniel. She believes in creating safe, welcoming spaces where people can be heard, valued, and supported, using listening, creativity, and connection to foster understanding, healing, and hope.

Muna Nuur
I am Creators of Peace (CoP) facilitator and have been involved with CoP since 2021, completing my facilitator training in 2024. I was part of the first New-Gen Peace Circle cohort during the pandemic, where we co-created a podcast series exploring peace across global communities. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Education and currently work in the health sector, as well as volunteering with the Communications team for Creators of Peace International. In my free time, I enjoy long strolls, hiking, baking, exploring new places, meeting people, and engaging in collective growth.

Sumaiya Shameem
Watch this space!

Omnia Marzouk
Watch this space

Monica Pryce-Ross
A compassionate peace maker and bridge builder,  Monica has combined over twenty years experience being a Life Skills Coach, facilitator and trainer, with a passion for nurturing and encouraging others, especially the younger generation,  often by sharing childhood stories while encouraging others to share their stories so as to inspire and boost connection. 

Monica is an avid reader and a prolific writer with a creative spirit who loves to express her creativity by writing poetry, lyrics and short stories, and when performing poetry and telling stories, she brings her words and the power of story telling to life.

Mary Lean
Mary took part in the inaugural Creators of Peace conference in Switzerland in 1991 and helped to facilitate the first Creators of Peace Circle in the UK in 2006. As a writer, editor and spiritual director, she has devoted her life to voluntary work in the fields of reconciliation and social change, interfaith understanding, women’s empowerment, support to refugees and spiritual growth. Her articles and books focus on the links between personal transformation and world change, and on stories of people making a difference. She lives in Oxford, UK, with her husband, John Bond, and a sweet-natured dog with a troubled past.

Bekie Chan
Is a counselor and soft - skills trainer has relocated from Hong Kong to the UK since April 2021 and is currently staying in Oxford

Iryna Mushkina
Is a CoP Facilitator / Trainer and has been a facilitator with NGO “Foundations for Freedom" since 2007. Iryna has extensive experience developing and running the programmes for socially active young people in Ukraine, teaching them soft skills, trust-building and ethical leadership. She facilitated the international Internship programme in Switzerland for 3 years, becoming a Peace Circles facilitator, actively delivering the programme to Ukrainian women since the war began.

Iryna had extensive experience bringing communities together. She has created and successfully run a cultural centre in London for 7 years, worked in IT industry and has been an interpreter at international conferences, workshops and NHS settings.

Iryna is passionate about helping people understand themselves better and find the support they need. She loved music, nature and art and incorporates them in her training.

Ilwad Sabriye
Watch this space!