Minigrant Awards

Digital Photography – Kenya

Project Lead(s): Caleb M. Wafula, Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace & Environmental Studies (WMI)

Project Summary: The “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (4IR) such as digital photography is disrupting nearly every aspect of life, that the peace building space cannot be an exception. This begs the question: How effective is Picha Mtaani as a digital tool for supporting local peacebuilders in successfully contributing to peace in their communities? This project transcends the hype around Picha Mtaani and attempts to offer fresh insights and discussion around the effectiveness of Picha Mtaani as a digital tool for supporting local peacebuilders, with special attention to Kenya’s informal settlements of Kibera, one of the epicenters of the 2007/2008 post-election violence.

Peace Agreement Implementation and Perceptions

Project Lead(s): Maria Jose Daza, University of Notre Dame 

Project Summary: Using Colombia as a case study, the aim of this research project is to understand if high-levels of implementation of a peace agreement do/don’t correlate with high levels of satisfaction among the population with that implementation process. The project will do so by comparing the official metrics of the implementation of the Peace Agreement signed between the Colombian Government and the FARC in 2016, along with people’s perception of the implementation process in those areas most affected by the armed conflict.

Hope for Peace Scale – Israel/Palestine

Project Lead(s): Oded Adomi Leshem, The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Psychology of Intergroup Conflict and Conciliation Lab at Hebrew University

Project Summary: The proposed research aims to achieve two goals. The first is to construct a tool that measures the hopes for peace of citizens mired in conflict zones. The second goal is to test whether citizens’ hope predicts their willingness to compromise on issues that lie at the heart of the conflict. 

Leaders and Safety from Terrorism

Project Lead(s): Mathieu Bere, Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution 

Project Summary: In the Sahel region of West Africa, a hotspot of global terrorism, local people in some areas managed to keep the violence under control better than in other areas through locally led initiatives. This research project seeks to investigate how such initiatives have helped to effectively prevent attacks by jihadist groups and preserve relative peace and social cohesion in Amataltal (a village of Niger), and in Dori (the main city of Burkina Faso Northern region). The research will also attempt to identify how community leaders and residents in these areas measure peace and security. 

Youth led Peacebuilding in Nigeria

Project Lead(s): Allwell O. Akhigbe, Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Project Summary: Nigeria’s youth peacebuilders continue to play important roles in ending the country’s violent conflicts which are often overlooked and underappreciated. This project investigates how youth and women-led peacebuilding organizations overcome the double bias of gender and age to make impact in the most marginalized and conflict- ridden communities in Nigeria and the ways by which international donors, policymakers and partners can sustain such impact. This research will contribute to the evidence base of the impact of youth peacebuilders organizations in the Global South and demonstrate the need for youth-sensitive funding by international donors to scale up their impact.

Grassroots Reconciliation – Uganda

Project Lead(s): 

  • Magdalen Amony, Country Director, Grassroots Reconciliation Group
  • Sasha Lezhnev, Founding Director, Grassroots Reconciliation Group
  • Stephen Langole, Director, Gulu University Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies

Project Summary: The Grassroots Reconciliation Group (GRG), a peacebuilding non-governmental organization (NGO) in northern Uganda, together with the Gulu University (Uganda) Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies, will assess the impact of locally led peacebuilding initiatives on two main post-war issues: the reintegration and reconciliation of ex-combatants (including child soldiers) and land conflicts. The conflict between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) armed group and the government of Uganda will be analyzed, during which 90 percent of the population of Northern Uganda was displaced and over 25,000 children were abducted as child soldiers. This study will assess the impact of land and reconciliation and reintegration initiatives in terms of their ability to effectively: (a) prevent, reduce, or cease violence; (b) improve horizontal relationships between and among ex-combatants and local communities; and (c) improve vertical relationships between people and those with authority and power. 

Civil Military Cooperation and Donors Lessons Learned – North Macedonia

Project Lead(s): Boshko Stankovski, Cambridge University 

Project Summary: The research aims to study if and to what extent donors should rely on establishing cooperation with the international military presence in a post-conflict environment for the purpose of sustainable and effective state building process. Using the case of Kosovo, this research analyses the civil-military relations from two different periods: The immediate aftermath of humanitarian intervention, and after the international civilian administration becomes fully operational. 

Down but Not Out – Nigeria

Project Lead(s): Fola Aina, University of Notre Dame 

Project Summary: This research project helps to improve evidence available to donors, policy makers, and practitioners in identifying and supporting local youth-led and women-led peacebuilding efforts within local communities in Nigeria’s troubled North East region.

EU Micro Project – Niger Delta Nigeria

Project Lead(s):
Mr. Victor Ikechukwu Ogharanduku, Centre for Peace & Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin
Mr. Adekunle Theophilus Tinuoye, Centre for Peace & Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin
Dr. Slyvannus S. Adamade: Centre for Peace & Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin

Project Summary: This project examines the European Union (EU) micro-project program (MPP) intervention in communities of the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria (2001-2012), to provide evidence of what an effective local-international partnership hinged on inclusion and direct support for local community-based peacebuilders or institutions in their communities is and its characteristics.