Mercy S, who received counselling to address religious division and funds for her business from LEGASI.

BUILDING

DIFFERENTLY

Peace Direct & partners:

Impact Report 2023

Foreword

2023 will not be considered a testament to the impact of peacebuilding. Instead, we will think of Palestine, and the ongoing devastation that has rightly drawn much of our attention.  

But our partners haven’t given up on peace. That’s why it’s vital to also remember the other parts of the world where peacebuilders persisted against insurmountable odds last year. Places like Sudan, Myanmar, and DRC, which have been broadly forgotten despite facing extreme crises. Our partners there have been protecting their communities, defending human rights, and working to prevent further division. They deserve our attention, and our support.

Our partners have not lost hope, and neither should we. Their work inspires us to continue – including continuing to push the international community to do better to support them.

That’s why this year’s Impact Report is a bit different. We’ve gone digital to ensure we can showcase the impact of all our partners. And you’ll hear directly from them about how different approaches to partnerships and to peacebuilding can help pave the way to sustainable peace.

We hope it will inspire you, as it does us, to believe that peace is possible with the leadership of local peacebuilders. And we hope you’ll take action with us, to better support them.

Dylan Mathews,
CEO of Peace Direct
2023 in numbers

Local peacebuilding partners  

Countries 

Our partners in 2023

In 2023, we partnered with 27 organisations and individuals building inclusive, sustainable peace in 14 different countries. Throughout the year, they worked tirelessly and creatively with their local communities to save lives and end cycles of violence.

Discover the stories of their impact:

*some of our partners aren’t listed here for their safety.

SHOW
Map
List

Africa

Across Africa, we had 14 peacebuilding partners in 2023. Their work spanned across psychosocial support, peace radios, addressing gender-based and election violence, and responding directly to emergencies in Sudan and DRC.

Asia & Middle East

In 2023 we had 10 peacebuilding partners across Asia and the Middle East, including four anonymous partners in Myanmar. Our partners' work ranged from civil society and livelihood support to children’s education and youth peace committees.

South America

In 2023, we set up new partnerships with 3 peacebuilding organisations in Colombia. Justapaz and Redepaz initiated their pilot phase of the Local Action Fund and Agenda Joven brought together community-based youth organisations across Caquetá.

Africa

Across Africa, we had 14 peacebuilding partners in 2023. Their work spanned across psychosocial support, peace radios, addressing gender-based violence and election violence, and responding directly to emergencies in Sudan and DRC.

Asia & The Middle East

In 2023 we had 10 peacebuilding partners across Asia and the Middle East, including four anonymous partners in Myanmar. Our partners' work ranged from civil society and livelihood support to children’s education and youth peace committees.

Americas

In 2023, we set up new partnerships with 3 peacebuilding organisations in Colombia. Justapaz and Redepaz initiated their pilot phase of the Local Action Fund and Agenda Joven brought together community-based youth organisations across Caquetá.

Americas

In 2023, we set up new partnerships with 3 peacebuilding organisations in Colombia. Justapaz and Redepaz initiated their pilot phase of the Local Action Fund and Agenda Joven brought together community-based youth organisations across Caquetá.

Americas

In 2023, we set up new partnerships with 3 peacebuilding organisations in Colombia. Justapaz and Redepaz initiated their pilot phase of the Local Action Fund and Agenda Joven brought together community-based youth organisations across Caquetá.

Building peace together

We know that without local peacebuilders like our partners, sustainable peace is not possible. We also know that they require meaningful, trust-based and transformational partnerships.

We spent much of 2023 talking to peacebuilders about their experiences of partnerships with international NGOs and funders, and learned that many have negative experiences. Some international partners don’t trust local peacebuilders. They don’t see local peacebuilders as experts, and don’t fund them in a way that enables sustainable, long-term peace. At worst, they see local peacebuilders as implementers for short-term projects designed internationally, rather than supporting local peacebuilders to take a community-centred approach with lasting impact.

We try to do things differently. We are proud to have meaningful partnerships with local peacebuilders, based on principles of trust, respect, flexibility and mutuality. We shift power and resources to them, supporting their adaptive, community-embedded approaches and long-term sustainability.

Partnership approaches for more sustainable peace

1. Local expertise

We believe that local peacebuilders are the experts in the conflicts that affect them and their communities. That’s why we are led by them and respect their expertise.

Read More
2. Trust & respect

We trust and respect our partners, and don’t burden them with unnecessary, demeaning reporting requirements.

Read More
3. Flexibility

We fund local peacebuilders flexibly, so they can adapt to their community’s changing needs, respond to emergencies, and be creative.

Read More
4. Mutuality

We are as accountable to our partners as they are to us. We learn from them, listening to their feedback so that we can build peace better together.

Read More
In their words: the perspectives of our partners
Commitment to long-term relationships and partnership is the main reason PIN choose to work with Peace Direct. Other reasons are: mutual trust, respect, open and transparent communication, participatory decision-making and shared learning. What sets Peace Direct apart from other INGOs is the power of local action. Peace Direct believes in the potential and expertise of local people to affect change and build peace in their communities. PIN share a common vision with Peace Direct in terms of community-led approach and inclusion. Local participation and ownership is at the core of our work in the community.  
PIN, Nigeria
Donors should know that the model of collaboration between AJCAD and Peace Direct is based on shared values, mutual transparency and mutual support. This partnership goes beyond projects; it is a collaboration that strengthens our capacities and our impact in building peace.
AJCAD, Mali
EPDO delivering an awareness and dialogue workshop.
Peace led by local people

We don't have a single definition of peace or peacebuilding. Because there isn't one. Every conflict is different. Every community affected has different needs. That demands the development of unique pathways to peace.

That's why we don't believe in copy-and-paste peacebuilding approaches, especially those developed far from the affected communities.

Being locally led means our local partners tell us what peace means to them. And they use their expertise to determine the best ways to build and sustain that peace.

The result is a rich, diverse ecosystem of peacebuilding work around the world. In 2023, some partners used sports to bridge divides, empowered people to build livelihoods free from violence, or educated children. Others built a ‘palace’ for peacebuilding.

Explore the full list of our partners to discover all the stories of their work. And delve into the case studies here to learn about some of the diverse pathways to peace our partners took in 2023.

Peace Led By Locals

We don't have a single definition of peace or peacebuilding. Because there isn't one. Every conflict is different. Every community affected has different needs. That demands the development of unique pathways to peace.

That's why we don't believe in copy-and-paste peacebuilding approaches, especially those developed far from the affected communities.

Being locally led means our local partners tell us what peace means to them. And they use their expertise to determine the best ways to build and sustain that peace.

The result is a rich, diverse ecosystem of peacebuilding work around the world. In 2023, some partners used sports to bridge divides, empowered people to build livelihoods free from violence, or educated children. Others built a ‘palace’ for peacebuilding,

Case Study 1
Child Guardians and the Youth Peace Committees in Syria
Read More
Case Study 2
Adeela’s emergency response to
the outbreak of war in Sudan
Read More
Case Study 3
Aman Chaupal:
A Palace of Hope
Read More

Fin

Case Study 1
Child Guardians and the Youth Peace Committees in Syria
Read More
Case Study 2
Adeela’s emergency response tothe outbreak of war in Sudan
Read More
Case Study 3
Aman Chaupal:
A Palace of Hope
Read More
In their words: the perspectives of our partners
Peace Direct has always been a pioneer in recognising that real change in the peacebuilding sector can only be fully feasible by way of working with local communities through local organisations. This intentional amplification of local voices is something that we greatly appreciate at CRC. Additionally, Peace Direct understands that there are certain doors that only they can open on our behalf but also that there are certain doors that only we can open for them, particularly in the local context. This mutual recognition of each other’s capabilities is one of the things that has kept us working together over the last 2 decades.
CRC, in DRC
Marwanatu, Patrick (LEGASI Progamme Manager) and Catherine. LEGASI helped Catherine and Marwanatu find forgiveness and bridge their divides. Together they've now formed a community movement for peaceful coexistence.
Building peace in new ways

Getting support to peacebuilders in active conflict zones is rarely simple. Neither is designing and delivering peacebuilding work in an ever-changing and volatile context. Both require creativity, flexibility and innovation.

In 2023, we and our partners have continued to explore innovative ways of building peace around the world. Recognising that peace and the pathways to it look different in every context, we’ve jointly supported creative, unique approaches to peacebuilding.

Together, we’re developing new, community-embedded and decolonial approaches to monitoring, evaluation and learning. This is a partner-led approach focused on community accountability, and measuring success through more meaningful metrics.  

We’ve adapted together to ensure peacebuilding work can continue in the face of radically changing contexts. Our innovative and flexible approach to getting funding into Afghanistan means we’ve been able to support civil society organisations, including women’s rights organisations, to continue their community-based work in 2023.

We’ve evaluated and expanded our Local Action Fund (LAF): a flexible model for resourcing grassroots peacebuilding efforts.
In 2023, we:

1

Started LAF projects with three new partners in Colombia.

2

Kicked off a second phase of the global LAF model, supporting wide ecosystems of peacebuilders in six countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas.

3

Hosted a learning exchange with LAF partners in Pakistan, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Sudan, who shared their learnings on innovative approaches to peacebuilding in highly restricted civic spaces.

In their words: the perspectives of our partners
Peace Direct has encouraged us to be flexible and innovative. Working with the team, and especially with Charlotte, enabled us to explore new approaches (report writing, project writing, etc) and solutions for more effective results.
AJCAD, Mali
Envision staff training community members.
Building a better sector


We shouldn’t have to say we do things differently. Everyone in our sector should believe in local leadership and take a trust-based, flexible and sustainable approach to peacebuilding. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.  

Our partners continue to face significant structural barriers that prevent them from doing their work effectively. Local peacebuilders can’t easily access international funding directly. They struggle to be perceived as valuable experts in conflict resolutions and peace negotiations. And our sector still doesn’t recognise the need for true local ownership of peacebuilding.

So, it's not enough for us to support our partners directly. We must look at the bigger picture. In 2023, we’ve been influencing the sector to better recognise the value of locally led peacebuilding.

In their words: the perspectives of our partners
Peace Direct's approach so far has been good. In fact, thanks to it, BPF has opportunities to speak directly to the big players, in particular donors and representatives of the international community. It is therefore a path towards the decolonisation of civil society organisations.
Beni Peace Forum, DRC
Vahe Mirikian, head of US Policy at Peace Direct, speaking at a panel on Local Power and the Future of Peacebuilding.
Help us fund peace differently

Peacebuilders’ work is not straightforward. They work in volatile contexts and are constantly forced to overcome new challenges. So, they need funders to be their allies. To provide financial support that helps them address long-term local concerns and adapt to changing community needs.

We only get to be this true ally some of the time – through generous, unrestricted donations from the public and funding from flexible, trust-based funders. This kind of funding is invaluable, and if we could, we’d rely on it entirely. But there isn’t enough.

Instead, we rely on the funding most common in our sector – restricted grants for short-term, time-bound initiatives, with strict requirements on the local partners accessing the money.

But why do funders, including us, fund this way at all?

Why don’t we choose to be allies instead?  

Why don’t we always ensure peacebuilders can be adaptable?

Why do we expect them to spend hours filling out due diligence or reporting forms, which are rarely in their own language, instead of delivering lifesaving conflict transformation?   

Why are they forced to justify how every penny is being spent, when they know better than us what the needs of their context are?     

The truth is that too many funders, including Peace Direct, focus on satisfying their own administrative processes more than on providing effective support. Even recently, we’ve seen funders demand intensive fortnightly reporting, request information that would endanger communities, and break multi-year contracts with just a month’s notice.

It's time to do better.

We know that for some funders, shifting away from restricted funding is seen as too risky. But what about the risks we’re exposing peacebuilders to? Isn’t the greatest risk of all the likelihood of violence escalating while we fail to be flexible enough for peacebuilders to respond?

Changing may not be easy, but this is not a challenge we can ignore. Read our partners’ perspectives on the impact of funding approaches to see why. And then read on, to discover how we and some of our funders are changing for the better.

Discover

Why our partner once said she would prefer $1,000 in unrestricted funding over a $100,000 restricted grant

In their words: our partners’ perspectives on the negative impact of funder practices
EXPAND

Change is possible

Change is possible

We can do better, together. Several of the funders we work with have proven that the changes our partners need are eminently possible. With our support, they have listened to our partners’ perspectives and committed to providing better funding.

It’s meant having difficult conversations internally, challenging assumptions, and recognising the way practices can reinforce problematic power dynamics. But they’ve made peacebuilders the priority, and succeeded in changing their approaches.

These changes look different for every funder. It could be imposing less rigorous reporting requirements. Speeding up decision-making processes. Co-building budgets with peacebuilders and ensuring they can be flexibly adjusted at short-notice. Making the measures of success more relevant to the contexts our partners work in. Taking on the burden of national compliance rules instead of passing it all along to partners.

Whatever it is, these shifting sands are creating a world where funding is more fair and equitable. A world where peace is more possible.

Hear from three of our most flexible funders about how they fund differently:

If you’d like to get in touch with us to discuss funding approaches,
please do email us at ceo@peacedirect.org.

In their words: our partners’ perspectives on better funding practices
It is essential for international donors to understand the impact of their funding approaches on our ability to build peace while promoting the decolonisation of development aid. Restrictive approaches inherited from the colonial past can hamper our long-term effectiveness. On the other hand, flexible financial support, adapted to local needs and based on mutual trust, can achieve more significant and lasting results.

International donors must recognise that the decolonisation of development aid implies a change of dynamic where local initiatives are valued and respected. Funding models that focus on empowering local actors and taking account of specific contexts are essential to building inclusive and sustainable peace processes.

By encouraging funding approaches that are more equitable, transparent and respectful of local actors, international donors are helping not only to strengthen our capacity to build peace, but also to create a truly collaborative and emancipating partnership. This change of perspective promotes more effective development aid that respects the aspirations and needs of local communities.
(translated from French) 
AJCAD, Mali
It is virtually impossible to work in the context where we work with a rigid mindset for the implementation of projects. Our view has always been that of a long-term building of peace practices and infrastructures. However, the dynamism of conflict and violence in the environment within which we work does not always enable us to work consistently and continuously. Disruptions are part and parcel of the work we do. Without Peace Direct’s understanding of this reality and the inbuilt trust as well as flexibility required, it would have been very difficult to continue supporting conflict-affected communities in Ituri and North Kivu.
CRC, in DRC
Build peace differently with us

As an individual, you can help us provide vital unrestricted funding to our peacebuilding partners – make a regular donation today, or increase your monthly gift:

Donate here

If you’re a member of a funding organisation, contact our senior team to learn more about shifting funding approaches:

Get in touch

Get in touch with us about any aspect of our work, or let us know what you thought of our report:

Get In Touch

Download (and share!) the highlights of this report as a PDF:

Download
Learn more about our work at
peacedirect.org
Acknowledgements

Our greatest thanks go to our partners, who we have the privilege of supporting as they change lives around the world. Their efforts to prevent violence and build peace that lasts make the world a better place for all of us.

We are also very grateful for the support of members of the public. We welcome those who supported us for the first time in 2023, and we would like to extend special thanks to those who donate regularly and have done so for a number of years. The invaluable funding they provide, which is unrestricted, keeps Peace Direct running but most importantly allow us to provide flexible grants to partners at short notice, and to reduce the administrative burdens they face.

We are also grateful for the kindness of those who remembered Peace Direct with a gift in their will. This support will ensure that the legacy of people who are no longer with us will live on for years to come through the work of our partners.

We owe thanks to several governments, foundations, and companies that financially supported our work in 2023, whether providing long-term or project funding. We have been particularly encouraged to see the willingness of many donors we’ve worked with in shifting practices and power to improve the sector and better enable sustainable local peacebuilding.

Additional thanks go to long-term funders, Humanity United, Robert Bosch Stiftung, and the People’s Postcode Lottery, for getting involved in this year’s report to encourage more donors to make those shifts.

As in previous years, we would like to thank Google for providing us with free advertising, which helps drive traffic to our website. We also received pro bono support from Pracedo, a Salesforce consulting firm.

Last but never least, Peace Direct’s staff, interns and Board should be recognised for their dedication and hard work to ensure that we advance in our mission every day.

Our partners in 2023
Our funders in 2023
Alan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust
Blandford Lake Trust
Global Affairs Canada
Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)
European Partnership for Responsible Minerals
Eva Reckitt Trust
Guernsey Overseas Aid
Harbinson Trust
Humanity United
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
Jusaca Charitable Trust
J A Trust
LBM Jem Charitable Trust
Network for Social Change
Open Society Foundations
People’s Postcode Lottery
Polden Puckham Charitable Foundation
Rhododendron Trust
Robert Bosch Stiftung
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Sir James Reckitt Charity
Sulney Fields Trust
William P Bancroft Charitable Trust