DRC: Sharing Experiences and Best Practices in Peace Education.

As part of the peer learning program for national coordinators of Civil Peace Service programs in Cameroon, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, a meeting was held in Kinshasa from August 6 – 8, 2024.

The meeting brought together peace education experts and delegates from Civil Peace Service (CPS) member organizations in the DRC working on peace education with peace clubs.

They discussed approaches, best practices and challenges related to peace education for in and out-of-school youth in the four CPS countries. The event aimed to strengthen existing peace education initiatives, highlighting successes, lessons learned from local and international experiences, and projections for the near future.

Churches in the DRC have long been pillars in the promotion of a culture of peace, particularly among young people. At this meeting, social and educational players shared their experiences, highlighting the approaches and good practices they have developed over the years.

Civil Peace Service Coordinators from Cameroon, Liberia and Sierra Leone also participated in the meeting, sharing their own experiences in peace education. These countries which have gone through periods of intense conflict, have developed innovative strategies to train their young people in peace and reconciliation. Their testimonies provided a valuable perspective, offering Congolese participants ideas and methods applicable to the DRC context.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the sharing of advocacy efforts led by CSOs in these countries to integrate peace education into the national curriculum. “We’ve made significant progress, but there is still a lot to do,” said Odile Bulabula, one of the coordinators of the CPS-RDC program.

CPS-RDC partner organizations also presented their unique approaches to peace education. Active in both formal and informal education, these organizations shared concrete examples of their initiatives, demonstrating how peace education can be integrated into diverse educational contexts.

This meeting marks an important step in the consolidation of peace education efforts in the DRC. By strengthening links between the various players and sharing successful experiences, it paves the way for new initiatives aimed at building a more committed Congolese youth resolutely focused on peace.