Promoting Intergroup Peace and Trauma Healing in War-Affected Ethiopian Communities

This project aims to strengthen social cohesion and peaceful coexistence amongst different ethnic groups in Ethiopia’s Afar Benishangul Gumuz and Tigray regions. Project activities include: (1) conducting conflict and gender analysis in 6 conflict-affected districts in the targeted regions; (2) facilitating regular consultative workshops for formal and informal stakeholders including federal regional and district government officials community-based organizations’ representatives and women and youth associations. The workshops focus on inclusive and gender-sensitive post-conflict interventions to guide and support this initiative throughout the project lifecycle; (3) training peace committee members and local government peace and security officers on early warning and response and conflict prevention management and resolution; (4) facilitating dialogue between different ethnic groups; (5) organizing public forums for local administrations and target communities; (6) providing trauma-affected individuals with inclusive community-based psychosocial support and referrals; and (7) training trauma-affected individuals in life skills and small business management and providing seed money to facilitate the start-up of small businesses as peace dividends.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) strengthened inclusive and accessible peacebuilding structures; (2) increased representation and meaningful participation of diverse ethnic groups women and youth in peaceful conflict resolution processes; (3) increased awareness of conflict context gender dynamics and inclusive peacebuilding practices by both formal and informal peace and security structures; (4) increased understanding of peaceful co-existence among ethnic groups; and (5) improved wellbeing of trauma-affected communities particularly victims of gender-based violence and women ex-combatants.