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History of Progress Through Peace, Inc.

Progress Through Peace, Inc. was founded in 2005. Leta M. Carruth, PTP’s executive director, traveled to Kosovo in the summer of 2005 to meet a group of young adults she had been assisting and supporting in their endeavors to make their homeland a more responsible and accountable society. Prior to that trip, she had neither been to Kosovo nor met any of these young adults. Within days after her arrival in Kosovo, Leta realized the need for education regarding democracy, basic economics, and health/hygiene, among myriad other “issues”

the citizens of Kosovo face in their efforts to establish a working and successful democratic society.

The number of Kosovars Leta met who neither knew the law nor had ready access to it was astonishing. Furthermore, she was disturbed that no conduit was in place (or even planned) for educating the Kosovars about their duties and responsibilities as citizens in a democratic society. Kosovo seemed to be functioning in a vacuum.

After speaking with local, regional, and national leaders, as well as many ordinary citizens in Kosovo, Leta determined that exposure to these issues and to the necessity of acting on them brought new meaning to her trip. She began, upon her return to the United States, to form PTP primarily as a means to properly address these concerns as quickly as possible.

The level of acceptance of PTP and its goals by community leaders and government officials in Kosovo has been positive and overwhelming. PTP is moving forward by planning its first round of classes for the summer of 2006. Meanwhile, we have already begun to work with local NGOs on other related multiethnic projects within Kosovo.

For PTP, the phrase “Everyday something amazing happens!” has become something of a mantra. The volume of calls, emails, and chance “meetings” of people who are interested in contributing in various ways to PTP is incredible.