Four lessons from the field

The director for cooperation affairs at the University of Peace shared some learning from a peacebuilding project in East Africa on day one of the Peace and Sport Forum.

The second workshop on day one of the 2016 Peace and Sport Forum focused on opening and closing field projects using sport for peacebuilding. Juan Carlos Sanz-Borgo, director for cooperation affairs at the University of Peace (UPEACE), shared some experiences from a project that took place in the Karamoji Cluster Kenya-Uganda border region.

Between 2013 and 2016, UPEACE and its local partners used community theatre, sport and women-led peace projects to mitigate pastoral violence. The region has high incidences cattle stealing, an act which is sometimes seen as a sign of masculinity put plays an important part in fueling violence between communities.

Communities on both sides of the border were brought together to take part in a combination of modern and traditional activities, creating a shared experience and understanding between different communities. Sanz-Borgo shared four key lessons which UPEACE has learnt from the project:

You don’t have the right answers. The communities who benefit from the project do – they know what they need.
Make sure your project is sustainable. It must have a continued impact once the project ends.
Work with locals. Work with local institutions to find out what is going on and what the best way to provide services is.
Be aware of the gender element. This doesn’t just mean including high numbers of women in girls in a project – it should integrate a fully gender sensitive approach.

The Peace and Sport International Forum 2016 continues in Monaco with the Peace and Sport Awards taking place this evening. Visit the Peace and Sport website for more information.