DOCUMENTING THE ROLE OF PEACEBUILDING IN POST-CONFLICT COMMUNITIES

Mercy Corps is a leading humanitarian and development organization with offices in more than 40 countries. Operating in some of the world's most complex and fragile environments, Mercy Corps works globally to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people to build secure, productive, and just communities. Mercy Corps has teamed with Pact International on a USAID-funded program known as PEACE III to strengthen cross-border conflict management in the Horn of Africa. In the past, the PEACE III program has struggled to document and communicate how these efforts are translating into greater peace and other benefits across the social, economic, ecological, and governance systems. Mercy Corps enlisted a Capstone team to support the PEACE III program in translating and documenting these efforts. The team traveled to the Uganda-Kenya border to interview team members, develop partnerships, and collect feedback from program participants. The team developed case studies to illustrate the progress of peacebuilding through various activities, such as natural resource sharing, trauma healing, and the PEACE III approach to youth. These case studies will be used to assist in outreach and increase funding for similar peacebuilding programs throughout Africa.