“Each of you is a minister of peace,” said Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Professor Ole D. Mjøs at the 20th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum.

About 50 Luther students and faculty attended the forum held at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn March 7-8. They learned about microfinancing, poverty and education from distinguished scholars and activists.

Two Luther students, Manu Ramkumar (‘10) and Fran Fairfield (‘11), were selected as Peace Prize Forum Scholars.

Both women received a flier in their SPOs telling them about the new scholarship endowment. Then they submitted their personal statements and teacher recommendations and waited to hear back. Both students completed interviews and were notified in February of their selection as Peace Forum Scholars.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for a lot of students to go to, and I think they should give it a chance,” said Ramkumar of the Forum. “You come to a college for four years, and then your college is part of this really famous consortium that can give you a lot of experiences and get you in touch with people … it’s none-the-less a rewarding, educating experience.”

As part of their scholar recognition, Ramkumar and Fairfield will participate in a summer travel seminar designed to deepen their understanding of issues related to peace, justice, democracy and human rights.

Upon returning to Luther, the scholars will be expected to assist with promoting the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Forum and assume leadership roles in peace activities on campus.

Fairfield was impressed with her first Peace Prize Forum.

“I thought it was especially inspiring to see so many people there all in good faith wanting to create a more peaceful and just world,” said Fairfield. “Not just college students but community members, etc.”

The Peace Scholars program was established to develop leaders with a lifelong interest in world peace issues. This year was the first for the scholar program and Ramkumar and Fairfield will be remembered as the first Luther recipients.

Luther student Katy Fiedler (‘08) led a seminar at the forum with Brett Johnson, assistant professor of sociology, entitled, “Putting Your Money Where Your Heart Is: KIVA.org to Microlend.” Fiedler and Johnson introduced the basics of microlending and shared their experiences.

Microlending is a way to empower the poor by making small loans with a fair interest rate to entrepreneurs. The recipients use the small cash sum to start their own business or cut out the middleman in the business they already operate and reap from a direct profit.

The idea of microlending is what 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus was recognized for. He created the Grameen Bank in 1983 to provide low-cost loans to counter the prolonged effects of poverty in Bangladesh.

Fiedler and her family got involved in microlending through KIVA.org, a Web site that unites loaners and borrowers across the globe.

“I was really inspired by Yunus’s work,” said Fiedler. “It just seems really intuitive to me, that by empowering the poor, enabling them to have access to loans, we can break out of the cycle of poverty.”

Fiedler and Johnson brought the microfinancing principle to campus and SEEDS has been microlending with KIVA.org since January 2007. The group has supported at least seven individuals through small, manageable loans.

Yunus and the Grameen Bank’s loan-recipients are 97 percent female, and all of the speakers emphasized the role of women in peace- making, marking and celebrating International Women’s Day, which was March 8.

“I was really inspired … throughout the weekend, participating in conversations with students, faculty and staff from Luther and wider communities,” said Fiedler. “It was a very educative event, and in addition to that, there’s a lot of hope for the future. I think we can all be taking the information and running with it … investing in our communities, after having the ‘Investing in Communities Peace Forum.’”