Peace and Security

Speeches Shim

Community Resilience in Central Africa
Invisible Children 
October 2017 - October 2022; $25,100,000 

USAID builds community resilience to the violent and unstable conditions created by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and other armed groups operating in the remote areas of southeastern CAR and northeastern DRC. USAID continues to extend a network of high frequency radios across the region, creating an early warning network against the LRA and other security threats. It encourages defections from armed groups, supports communities in their efforts to reintegrate former combatants, and assists communities in recovery through trauma healing and investments in basic economic activities that create alternatives to armed violence. 

Solutions for Peace and Recovery
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL
Democratic Republic of the Congo
August 2016 - August 2021; $19,541,302 

USAID empowers local communities and civil society organizations to engage with their elected officials and other leaders as a means to reduce violence. It helps communities conduct conflict analyses and use the results to influence decision-makers. It increases social cohesion through inclusion of women and marginalized groups, especially in seven priority territories of eastern DRC: Walungu, Kabare, Kalehe, Bukavu City, Masisi, Walikale, and Goma City.

Counter Gender-Based Violence
IMA WORLD HEALTH
Democratic Republic of the Congo
November 2017 - November 2022; $15,295,259 

USAID provides emergency and long-term assistance to sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) survivors and strengthens Congolese institutions to address GBV needs in the future. It has provided services, including medical care, psychosocial support, legal support, and vocational and literacy training to thousands of survivors in North and South Kivu. USAID invests in community awareness activities and information campaigns to promote women’s rights and community acceptance of rape survivors. 

Tanganyika Conflict Mitigation and Resolution 
PACT INC. 
Democratic Republic of the Congo
August 2018 - August 2020; $1,480,197

USAID strengthens peace and reconciliation in Tanganyika province by mitigating conflicts, creating shared economic opportunities, and building social cohesion between Batwa and Baluba peoples. It supports intercommunity dialogues and women and youth groups in their efforts to promote peace. 

Central African Interfaith Peacebuilding Partnership
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
Central African Republic
Jan 2016 - Jan 2021; $3.5 million (USG contribution) with $4.2 million non-USG leveraged funding

USAID works to resolve religious and social divisions that have fueled decades of violent conflict in CAR. In partnership with the CAR Inter-Religious Platform, local civil society, and the private sector, USAID strengthens local leaders’ capacity to build peace, improves economic livelihoods, and provides trauma healing and peace education. The Central African Interfaith Peacebuilding Partnership is a Global Development Alliance supported by various private sector partners in coordination with CAR’s Ministry of Social Affairs and National Reconciliation.

Connecting Citizens to Post Electoral Political Processes
INTERNEWS NETWORK
Central African Republic
Oct 2016 - Sept 2020; $4,800,000

USAID supports journalists and independent media organizations to become foundations of the Central African Republic’s nascent democracy. It trains journalists and strengthens media outlets to provide accurate and unbiased reporting, promoting peaceful democratic participation in a context where rumors and mistrust between communities have fueled decades of conflict. USAID builds the organizational capacity and financial independence of Internews’ local partner, the Association of Journalists for Human Rights.

People to People Peacebuilding Activity 
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
Central African Republic
Aug 2018 - Aug 2020; $1,500,000

USAID helps the six communities in the fragile prefecture of Lobaye to build mutual understanding, trust, empathy, and social and economic ties across religious and ethnic lines. After years of violence and displacement, USAID is engaging communities to expand savings and entrepreneurial skills to manage personal financial affairs and build socioeconomic networks. Together with its local partner the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission Lobaye, USAID works with local leaders, business cooperatives, and youth to institute conflict management strategies to resolve identity-based conflicts effectively, equitably, and peacefully.

Countering Hate Speech in the Central African Republic
UNITED STATES INSTITUTE FOR PEACE
Central African Republic
Feb 2020 - Apr 2021, $399,949

USAID strengthens trust between communities by identifying and reducing hate speech. It informs policymakers, community leaders, and the general public about the use of hate speech in CAR, equips community leaders with tools to monitor tensions, counter hate speech, and build inter-communal trust, and raises awareness among national-level policy makers about hate speech and its impact.