Together, we’ve stopped violence in its tracks. Our partners have prevented massacres in eastern DRC, decreased domestic violence in Zimbabwe, and de-escalated tensions between communities. They’ve created non-violent routes out of poverty, kept children in school and out of gangs, and helped divided groups find common ground. Read on to learn more about our partners and the transformative work they do to build peace that lasts.
After the 2021 military coup in Sudan, our youth-led partner has supported peaceful resistance efforts, emergency care, and protection for people under threat. They’ve countered misinformation, reduced hate speech, and convinced local community leaders to advocate to an end to fighting.
They’ve also established safe housing and spaces for collaboration for anti-coup groups and those vulnerable to persecution by the oppressive regime. They’ve provided direct humanitarian support to local communities, including supporting emergency rooms nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. Our partner has also trained 29 smaller civil society groups in advocacy and other key skills, and supported one in its work to monitor human rights violations.
Decades of conflict in DRC has destroyed the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Mining for gold is seen as one of the few routes out of poverty, but mines are often unsafe, or run by armed groups. Our partner uses ethical mining practices to produce conflict-free gold, enabling former fighters to generate an income that doesn't contribute to violence.
Thanks to our partner, miners in the Peace Gold cooperatives have increased their monthly income by 60%, and set up a community fund. Over 950 children have been supported to return to school. And around 2,000 cooperative members have received conflict resolution training.
In Burundi, women and children often walk for hours across steep hills and deep valleys to fetch water and attend school. This increases their vulnerability to attacks, especially when they have to travel before dawn or after dark.
Following a conflict analysis process with the local community, young people from opposing political parties decided to work together to prevent gender-based violence and school dropouts. They did so by building bridges between the hills. These bridges helped women access water and health centres more safely. Students managed to get to school more easily. And social cohesion was reinforced as the community came together across political divides towards a common goal.
Your solidarity ensures our partners can continue their vital, lifesaving work around the world.
Our partners have given hundreds of children an education and relief from the trauma of war in Syria. They’ve built community spaces for dialogue in Pakistan. They’ve helped women build financial independence, through skills training and loans, in Nigeria.
With our emergency support, they have become a lifeline in the face of disasters – providing rapid humanitarian relief to save lives and support the most urgent needs of the communities affected. Our partners have even worked closely with us to overcome impossible odds: together, we’ve prevented the collapse of civil society and women’s rights organisations in Taliban-led Afghanistan.
The decades of conflict in Syria have driven millions of children out of school, but our partner, Swaadna Al Souriya helps children rediscover their dreams. Every year, Swaadna provides food, shelter, education and mental health support to over a hundred children. By doing so, they protect children from recruitment by armed groups or early marriage, and provide them with a safe space to recover from the trauma of the conflict. They also provide language, maths and parenting classes to local mothers.
Amal, a mother who attended Swaadna's classes in 2023, said: “I hope all women learn reading and writing, even if they are 50 or 60 years old, we can do that... Before I couldn’t read anything, now I could read the pharmacy banner, the streets’ names, now I walk and read everything.”
In Pakistan, our partner HIVE supported a grassroots initiative to build Aman Chaupal, a new community centre. In a region where mosques had replaced communal social spaces, Aman Chaupal is an inclusive, open space for dialogue and recognition for the voices of marginalised communities.
Thanks to its community-led approach, Aman Chaupal has been a huge success. It has hosted diverse discussions and events, becoming a hub for the community and inclusive decision-making. For the first time in the village's history, women have been included and issues affecting them were discussed publicly. There are now proposals to replicate Aman Chaupal in another 125 communities.
In Zimbabwe, Envision Women's Trust delivered training in conflict transformation and gender equality to traditional community leaders. They helped ensure women receive fair treatment in local peace courts, have more rights in the home, and are better protected.
One village leader said, "I now have wisdom to deal with conflicts and also respect the rights of women and girls... I thus vow to use my leadership skills to transform attitudes and behaviours of people in my village." Envision's work resulted in reduced instances of conflict, fewer instances of domestic violence, and reduced political violence around elections. Local perceptions
Every penny helps us support local peacebuilders to change the future of their communities and increase their impact around the world.
Doing things differently makes a difference. Because we prioritise flexible funding for our partners, they can adapt rapidly to the changes in their community, meeting the most urgent needs of people affected by violence or disaster.
Together, we’ve also been able to increase our impact by using flexible funds to support wider ecosystems of peacebuilders. Several of our partners find and fund the next generation of peacebuilders and grassroots organisations.
They provide small grants to hundreds of new peacebuilders, supporting them to test innovative initiatives for peace in their communities. Through this work, we’ve encouraged hundreds of young people to become respected agents of peace. Some individuals have gone on to start their own peacebuilding organisations, drawing international backing to deliver large initiatives.
Learn more about our Local Action Fund, and its unique impact:
