Photo: The house where it all began. The founding meeting for PBI took place on August 31 to September 4, 1981, on Grindstone Island, 110 kilometres south of Ottawa, Algonquin territory, Canada.
As the 45th anniversary of the founding of Peace Brigades International (PBI) approaches this coming August 31 to September 4, 2026, we compile here our past articles on the founding and early years of PBI:
Founding meeting
1-Peace Brigades International-Canada notes the 44th anniversary of its founding, hopes to broaden its work (August 31, 2025)
2-PBI-Canada visits Big Rideau Lake in eastern Ontario where PBI was founded 43 years ago (September 4, 2024)
3-40th anniversary of invitation letter to the founding meeting for Peace Brigades International (January 12, 2021)
4-How Leo Tolstoy helped inspire the formation of Peace Brigades International (April 28, 2020)
5-The influence of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the founding of Peace Brigades International (April 26, 2020)
6-The key role played by Quakers in the formation of Peace Brigades International 40 years ago (March 4, 2021)
7-The Roots and Early Years of Peace Brigades International by co-founder Daniel N. Clark (April 30, 2020)
Those who were at the founding meeting
8-Hans Sinn’s lifelong journey for a peaceful world (June 9, 2019)
9-PBI founder Daniel N. Clark: “We are like the street arm of Amnesty International (September 3, 2021)
10-Murray Thomson’s lasting legacy (May 6, 2019)
11-Remembering Peace Brigades International co-founder Narayan Desai on the 10th anniversary of his passing (March 26, 2025)
12-Lee Stern, Quaker pacifist and co-founder of Peace Brigades International (May 7, 2020)
13-When PBI co-founder Gene Keyes burned his draft card on Christmas Eve 1963 (December 20, 2019)
14-PBI-Canada celebrates International Conscientious Objection Day and our founders who went to prison for refusing military service (May 14, 2025)
15-PBI co-founders Murray Thomson and Hans Sinn on NATO, nuclear weapons and disarmament (July 4, 2024)
Those who helped to shape the early years
16-PBI co-founder George Willoughby was on The Golden Rule in May-June 1958 that inspired Greenpeace, other peace protest boats (May 8, 2026)
17-Barbara MacQuarrie and the early days of PBI in Guatemala and El Salvador (May 14, 2020)
18-Remembering Alaine Hawkins (September 6, 2019)
19-Listen to Liam Mahoney from PBI on Democracy Now! in May 1998 interview with Amy Goodman (April 28, 2020)
20-“My time with PBI helped me to understand what it means to fight for justice and equality”: Barb MacQuarrie (September 24, 2020)
21-PBI-Guatemala co-founder Alain Richard who helped develop the PBI model accompaniment passes away at 96 years of age (July 12, 2021)
22-Remembering Hazel Tulecke, a formative Peace Brigades International volunteer (November 16, 2019)
First projects
23-Remembering the formation and history of the Peace Brigades International-North America Project (February 10, 2026)
24-PBI in Jalapa, Nicaragua in 1983 as “tracer bullets lit up the sky” (September 2, 2021)
25-New Internationalist article on PBI in Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Colombia from 1998 (May 12, 2020)
26-PBI-Canada extends 30th anniversary greetings to PBI-Colombia with appreciation for all their work (October 3, 2024)
Notable events
27-Thirty year anniversary of the grenade and knife attacks against PBI-Guatemala (September 7, 2019)
28-David Hartsough remembers PBI-Guatemala’s role following the murders of Hector Gomez and Maria Rosario Godoy de Cuevas (December 20, 2022)
29-PBI volunteers present when Salvadoran police raided the CRIPDES office in 1989 (May 13, 2020)
30-When CREDHOS sought refuge at the PBI house in Barrancabermeja on Christmas Day (December 22, 2023)
31-When Bill Blaikie, MP rose in the House of Commons and noted the work of Peace Brigades International (April 8, 2020)
32-PBI-Guatemala remembers accompanying GAM when it interrupted a military parade on September 15, 1986 (September 15, 2020)
33-PBI-Guatemala accompanied the historic GAM protest march on October 12, 1984 (September 9, 2019)
34-Peace Brigades International training on Stó:lō territory in British Columbia in 1992 (May 15, 2020)
35-When Peace Brigades International accompanied Rigoberta Menchú in Guatemala (September 6, 2019)
36-PBI-Colombia accompanies the 38th anniversary ceremony of the founding of CREDHOS in Barrancabermeja (December 14, 2025)
Stories about volunteers
37-“Citizen George” documentary includes George Lakey’s time as a PBI volunteer in Sri Lanka (February 25, 2025)
38-30th anniversary of PBI volunteer Karen Ridd’s remarkable act of courage (November 19, 2019)
39-PBI-Canada remembers Ueli Wildberger and the “menschenteppich” at the arms show in Winterthur, Switzerland (November 28, 2023)
40-“Accompaniment embodies solidarity and can promote social justice in unique ways”: Heidi Mitton on her time with PBI-Colombia (October 23, 2020)
41-Heidi Mitton, PBI-Colombia volunteer (October 11, 2019)
42-“It taught me so much about the meaning of justice and healing”: Marianna Tzabiras on her time with PBI-Guatemala (October 15, 2020)
43-“PBI is an amplifier of the dedication and passion of human rights defenders”: Brandon McNally on his time with PBI in Kenya (October 8, 2020)
44-“PBI taught me the value of solidarity”: field volunteer Scott Pearce reflects on his time with PBI in Colombia (October 8, 2020)
45-Scott Pearce, PBI-Colombia volunteer (October 7, 2019)
46-“PBI is an inspiring opportunity to live the ideals of nonviolence”: Mitchell J. Goldberg (September 30, 2020)
47-“PBI was a true introduction to the meaning of solidarity”: Justin Mohammed on his time as a PBI volunteer in Kenya (September 28, 2020)
48-“PBI was my university” – Rusa Jeremic reflects on her time as a PBI volunteer in Guatemala (September 16, 2020)
49-Luis van Isschot, PBI-Colombia volunteer (October 7, 2019)
50-Stephen Law, PBI-Colombia volunteer (October 4, 2019)
51-PBI-Guatemala volunteer testimony: Mélisande Séguin (May 15, 2020)
52-Elaine Bishop recalls visit to El Salvador with Peace Brigades International (January 10, 2022)
Passings
53-PBI-Guatemala and PBI-Spanish State remember the life and work of Fermín Rodrigo (April 10, 2026)
54-The Peace Brigades International community remembers the life and work of Joan (Joke) Edenburg (March 16, 2026)
55-Peace Brigades International remembers the life and activism of David Hartsough (March 27, 2025)
56-A celebration of the life of PBI co-founder Hans Sinn (September 25, 2023)
57-Peace Brigades International co-founder Hans Sinn passes away at 94 years of age (July 3, 2023)
58-PBI-Canada mourns the passing of Phyllis Fischer (August 25, 2020)
59-One year after his passing, Murray Thomson’s legacy teaches us to keep working for peace (April 30, 2020)
60-Remembering JoLeigh Commandant, the first director of PBI’s Central America Project (April 28, 2020)
61-Friends and family of Murray Thomson gather to remember and celebrate his life (October 25, 2019)
Also
62-Peace Brigades International offices in Canada, 1986 to now (September 8, 2021)
63-Petra Kelly’s words in support of Peace Brigades International (April 15, 2020).
