Peace Committees are volunteer groups that lead community efforts to strengthen peace and reduce risk of violent conflict. We help Central African communities establish these groups, train them on topics related to peacebuilding and violence prevention, and work with them to create strategies to improve safety, called Community Action Plans.

Local Peace Committees provide the backbone of many of Invisible Children’s programs including peaceful conflict transformation, mental health and psychosocial support, and escapee support and reunification.

 

 

 

 

 

By the numbers

169 Local Peace Committees supported by Invisible Children

151 individualized Community Action Plans created with local leaders

97% of Peace Committee members report their community is safer as a result of our work

Forming Diverse Committees

Alongside our local partners, we bring together key representatives from across the community  including religious leaders, women, youth, ethnic minorities, and members of other vulnerable groups. Peace Committee members are democratically elected by the community. This is intended to ensure the Committee represents and is trusted by the whole community. 

 

Participatory Community Mapping and Community Action Plans

Invisible Children and our partners lead Peace Committees through a process that identifies each community’s unique strengths, resources, and vulnerabilities. Using this information, we work together to develop Community Action Plans for how to reduce internal vulnerabilities and safely respond to external threats in order to minimize the impacts of violent conflict. 

 

Training and Development

We provide Peace Committee members and the broader community with regular training in response to locally identified needs which include everything from techniques for peaceful conflict mediation, to recognizing and coping with symptoms of trauma, to preventing gender-based violence. These trainings help to strengthen the resilience of communities and equip them with tools to address challenges as they arise.

 

Invisible Children supports local Peace Committees along the border region between eastern Central African Republic (CAR), northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan.

 

 

 

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