Project profile — 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 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.

Results achieved as of January 2025 include : (1) completed a conflict and gender analysis in 6 districts across 3 regions of Ethiopia: Afar (Abala, Wasema), Benishangul Gumuz (Ura, Bambasi) and Tigray (Wajirat, Enderat); (2) established 18 kebele-level peace committees made up of 216 community members (73 women); (3) conducted two 3-day conflict early warning and early response trainings to zonal, woreda and kebele-level peace and security offices from Afar, Benishangul and Tigray regions for a total of 42 participants (20 women); and (4) conducted 6 three-day conflict early warning and response training to 216 peace committee members.