Omam Esther Highlights the Hidden Cost of Peacebuilding Leadership

Omam Esther, Executive Director, Reach Out Cameroon.

For many years, Omam Esther has been a steady voice for peace in fragile and conflict-affected communities. As a Global Peace Champion and Executive Director of Reach Out Cameroon, her work has placed her at the heart of humanitarian response, community engagement, and peace mediation. Yet beyond the public image of leadership and service lies a reality she now brings into focus the quiet, personal toll of carrying other people’s pain.

In a reflective piece titled “Footprints of Peace,” Omam Esther speaks candidly about the hidden cost of leadership. She describes how peacebuilders often devote their time, strength, and emotional energy to supporting vulnerable communities, frequently at the expense of their own well-being. “Too often, we forget ourselves and our own needs as we focus on the many vulnerabilities around us,” she observes.

The past year, she says, has been one of the most demanding periods since she began her journey in humanitarian and peace work. It tested her resilience, challenged her faith, and forced her to pause and confront uncomfortable questions about endurance and self-sacrifice. For Omam Esther, the work of peace has not only been about mediating conflict and responding to crises, but also about navigating personal moments of exhaustion and doubt.

At the core of her reflection is a powerful question that speaks to many leaders in similar spaces: Should a peace mediator suffer in silence while carrying the weight of others? By asking this, she challenges long-standing expectations that leaders must remain unbreakable, regardless of the emotional burdens they carry.

As the world steps into 2026, Omam Esther’s message is both a reflection and a call to action. She urges communities, institutions, and leaders themselves to embrace compassion, care, and balance. Peace, she insists, must be nurtured not only in communities, but also within those who are tasked with building it.

Her New Year's message closes on a hopeful note, an appeal for renewed strength, shared responsibility, and healing. Through Footprints of Peace, Omam Esther leaves a lasting reminder that sustainable leadership and lasting peace begin with acknowledging the humanity of the peacemakers themselves.