World Vision's Conflict Prevention Work

Peace on Earth Pledge

World Vision's Conflict Prevention Work

Learn more about our approach to Peacebuilding around the world:

World Vision Peace Club and Child Friendly Space Central African Republic (2018)

Peace Club & Child Friendly Space Central African Republic (2018)

World Vision assisted nearly 8,000 children. Through the support of World Vision and the community members led by their leaders, the children were rescued, rehabilitated and enrolled in peace clubs. Some returned to school while those who were beyond schooling years, were enrolled in vocational training.

Marah (18) in Za’atari Refugee Camp

Marah is one of seven young refugees and first-time filmmakers, trained in immersive shooting using 360 cameras, so they could share their experiences with the world, both the challenges they face and why they still have hope.

Peace Efforts in Uganda (2005)

Signs calling for peace and reconciliation line the front of the crowd listening to prayers from major religious leaders, including the Archbishop, members of each major Christian denomination, and a prominent Imam. Political leaders followed with lengthy speeches. Peace Prayer Gathering in Odek, hometown to LRA leader Joseph Kony. Co-sponsored by World Vision.

Women Stand Up Together Shelter, DR Congo (2011)

Children at a Women Stand Up Together shelter for abused women and girls near Goma, DR Congo. Rape has been used as a weapon of war in some conflicts. World Vision supports 10 of the 20 shelters which house 360 women - most have been sexually abused. They receive psychosocial and emotional help, training in sewing, baking and handicraft making, and learn farming and to raise goats and rabbits.

Aftermath of the Battle for Mosul, Iraq (2019)

During the battle for Mosul in 2017, thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire were killed or wounded and many more families lost their homes. The city continues to be heavily damaged nearly two years after the fighting as families struggle to recover and rebuild their lives. Nearly 7m people in Iraq are in need of humanitarian assistance and nearly 2m people continue to be displaced as a result of the conflict.

Voices for Peace from Bosnia (2009)

Forty-three children from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3 different religions: Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Islam and 2 goals: Combating HIV/AIDS in Bosnia and Herzegovina and spreading the word of peace. During the Summer Camp, organized by World Vision for the forth consecutive time, selected children continued their training in becoming peer educators.

Internally Displaced People, DR Congo (2008)

World Vision supports several internally displaced people camps in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Interventions include provision of shelter, nutrition, establishment of Child Friendly Spaces, provision of Non-Food Items and offering psycho-social support.

Aryana (20), Aspiring Photographer and Syrian Refugee (2019)

Aryana was jobless after escaping conflict in Aleppo, Syria. Aryana now works in a camera shop thanks to the “Youth Resolve” vocational program provided by World Vision in Dohuk, Iraq. “People should love each other and co-exist, we are all human beings,” she says. Aryana dreams of being a famous photographer taking nature photos for National Geographic.

Hunted by hungry - Internally displaced family, Afghanistan (2018)

A woman is cooking lunch in front of her tent in IDP areas. World Vision Mobile Health Team distributed RUFT packets. RUTF is peanut butter “amplified” – it is loosely defined as a fortified peanut butter paste rich in vitamins and energy contained in a package that looks like an oversized ketchup packet. RUTF has been revolutionary in treating severe acute malnutrition.

Client at the Women Stand Up Together Shelter, DR Congo (2011)

Women Stand Up Together shelter in northeast DRC near Goma for abused women and girls. World Vision supports 10 of the 20 shelters which house 360 women. 80% of the women and girls there have been sexually abused. They receive psychosocial and emotional help, training in sewing, baking and handicraft making, and learn farming and to raise goats and rabbits.

Soldier outside Beni, DR Congo (2009)

This soldier is just one of many government soldiers who are fighting a complicated war in eastern DR Congo where the main conflict is between rebel and army factions from Rwanda and/or the DR Congo.

Sherinah, 12, in her classroom, Uganda (2018)

World Vision trained teachers about child protection issues. Sherinah is part of the Peace Road and Vision Club. This club empowers children to make changes when they see abuses.

Jamira, 26, Mother and Rohingya Refugee (2017)

26-year-old, Jamira who lives in the neighborhood tents of Hasina with two children adds, “We are sleeping on the ground with our little children. The black polythene tent produces lots of heat. Our children are facing skin diseases and sometime vomiting. Beside these issues we don’t have women bathing place. We use wet towels to clean ourselves inside the tent.”

Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan (2013)

arrive in neighboring countries with little more than the clothes on their backs and memories of friends and home. Here in Jordan, they take refuge with their families in a crowded camp or suffocating accommodations, mourning lost loved ones and yearning for their former lives. Each child has a story. World Vision is providing flood control and a variety of assistance to the refugees.

Toys for post-trauma counselling, DR Congo (2019)

Children amid a crisis can find comfort in toys chosen to soothe and offer relief from the experience of conflict or natural disaster. Providing the chance to play, to process emotions, regain confidence and enjoy being a child again, the power of comfort toys can help change a child’s life.

Peace on Earth Pledge

The Peace on Earth Pledge is our way of asking Australians to unite with World Vision to prevent violence and conflict here and around the world - especially to protect vulnerable children. In November 2019 we launched Crisis Averted, a report which outlines five steps the Australian Government can take to make us a global leader in conflict prevention and violence risk reduction. Doing the #PeacePledge will help make Australia famous for our peacebuilding.

Conflict in Georgia (2008)

Destruction left after days of fighting between Russia and Georgia in the strategically important town of Gori, 22 km south of South Ossetia. These are bullet holes left in the shop windows in the town's main square.

Interfaith Coordination in Yaloke, Central African Republic (2015)

Through a meeting of inter-faith religious leaders, World Vision helped organise, the safety of 300 Fulani people was negotiated. Pastor Francis: ‘WV is the only NGO that has contacted us and has worked with us...so we know that they are committed’. Muslim Teacher: ‘I’m interested in educating my students on peace...do you have any resources to do this?’

Kormari Internally Displaced People, Somalia (2007)

The overcrowded Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps have no running water, no latrines and no opportunity for the fleeing children to access any schooling. Bags full of non-food items such as blankets, jerry cans, soap, cups, plastic basins, mosquito nets and cooking pots which have been put together and distributed by World Vision.

Mosul Damaged by Conflict, Iraq (2019)

Self Defence for Syrian refugee girls (2019)

World Vision's Sport lead, and Jordanian national karate champion, Qamar Al Kurdi (Moon), teaches karate to Syrian refugee girls in Azraq refugee camp, Jordan.

More about World Vision's approach to Peacebuilding around the world:

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, World Vision has formed Peace-Promotion Task Forces (PPTF), whose members have been trained to promote messages of peace in conflict-prone areas.

The EU funded project invested a lot in Conflict Sensitivity (specifically context analysis) as the foundation for Peacebuilding. The project empowered women and faith leaders on conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding. Beneficiaries of the project varied from school children to government ministries (including the National Peace Council).

Asia Pacific

World Vision Asia Pacific has produced a Peace Education Curriculum for Peace Clubs. This was initially piloted in Indonesia.

Burundi

World Vision’s “Mahoro” project in Burundi focused on countering acrimonious attitudes in media & public during the 2015 general elections. This could easily be adapted to focus on youth.

Central African Republic

In the Central African Republic, World Vision established Peace Clubs for Empowering Children where children, their parents, and members of the community including their community leaders were trained on ways to ensure children are protected from harm. World Vision closely worked with faith leaders to build their capacities on Do No Harm (through DNH for Faith Groups)

East Africa

In 2018, World Vision East Africa is working to promote children and youth in peacebuilding. In Uganda, World Vision helps peace clubs. Trains peace club members and provides the materials for children to organize activities to spread peace messages throughout the refugee and surrounding host communities through the “Empowering Children as Peacebuilders” (ECAP) project model (now a programming guide) and “Peace Road curriculum” (now a project model)

El Salvador

World Vision El Salvador developed a peacebuilding methodology for children ages 7 to 12 that strengthens self-esteem and tackles resolution of conflicts through an assertive emotion management technique. It has developed nearly 1000 peacebuilding groups.

Ethiopia

World Vision designed a project in Ethiopia (funding committed) to integrate peacebuilding into Livelihood Programming between two polarized ethnic groups. The key local capacities for peace and insights for the design were taken from micro and macro context analysis.

India

India does a lot of Peacebuilding programming (integrated) with Children clubs. Their main focus are “Play for Peace” and “Life Skills for Transformational Development - LSTD.

Kosovo

In Kosovo, World Vision’s “Kids for Peace” program created Peace Ambassadors and Peace Clubs in different communities.

Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq

World Vision has participated in the “Youth Resolve” project aimed at building social cohesion in communities in Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.

Sierra Leone

World Vision Sierra Leone developed a program to train children in advocacy strategies to reduce abuse in their communities.

Sri Lanka and the Philippines

Sri Lanka and the Philippines continue to implement Empowering Children as Peacebuilders. Their main focuses are “culture of peace”, “Do No Harm” for young people and Language for Peace.

In Sri Lanka, World Vision successfully implemented a Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project through Australian Aid. The project managed to use water and sanitation facilities as a “connector” to bring a polarised key stakeholders to the conflict in the estate plantation sector in Sri Lanka. The stakeholders were; the communities, the estate management and the local government. Water was identified as a main dividing factor among these stakeholders through context analysis and it was used proactively as a “connecting factor”

South Sudan, Mali, Eastern DRC and Burundi

South Sudan, Mali, Eastern DRC and Burundi - The Fragile Context Programming Pilots: These pilots integrated peacebuilding into their sector based programming based on intense macro and micro level context analysis. Mostly the peacebuilding programming are directed towards “the root causes of conflict” or “working on fragility”

Sudan

In Sudan World Vision, as part of the Darfur Community Peace & Stability Fund (UNDP), is employing community-based resolution mechanisms in areas with tribal and nested intra-tribal conflicts.

These gender-sensitive mechanisms work at all levels to re-establish relationships, build peace and proactively resolve potential conflicts.

World Vision's approach to Peacebuilding and Reconciliation:

World Vision believes in conflict sensitivity as the foundation for Peacebuilding programming. Conflict Sensitivity is mandatory and Peacebuilding and reconciliation is optional
Based on the context analysis, World Vision starts working on the local capacities for peace and dividers to design Peacebuilding programming
Empowering Children as Peacebuilders is a “programming guide” that the organization uses to design Peacebuilding programming with children (6-18 years old). World Vision believes that children should be provided with basic needs, protection and life skills before they are equipped with “Peace Skills
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) approach is a must for all peacebuilding programming with children. It’s a prerequisite.
World Vision’s Peacebuilding programming actively brings in (integrates) Faith and Development, Gender and Environment
“Integrated Peacebuilding” is World Vision's prefered way of programming (Education, Water and Sanitation, livelihoods etc.) - as opposed to stand-alone peacebuilding programming
World Vision works closely with faith leaders to transform them into agents of peace. The initial approach is to work with them on “conflict sensitivity” - specifically through Do No Harm (DNH) - at present, only with the Muslim and Christian leaders. The next steps are to take them through a journey of “peacebuilding and reconciliation” - intrafaith first and then interfaith.