Peace Education through Mediation in Schools

Haiti’s prolonged humanitarian crisis has deeply affected children and adolescents, exposing them to violence in homes, schools, communities, and digital spaces. The absence of mediation and conflict-resolution practices within the education system has contributed to confrontational behaviors and the normalization of violence. In parallel, insecurity, displacement, and social fragmentation have weakened protective environments for children, increasing the risk of exploitation, school dropout, and recruitment into violent dynamics. There is an urgent need for preventive, child-centered interventions that promote dialogue, mediation, and peaceful coexistence as foundations for long-term social cohesion.

Overall Objective

To contribute to the construction of sustainable social peace in Haiti by empowering children and adolescents, in schools and community spaces, as active agents of dialogue, mediation, and peaceful conflict resolution.

Emergency-Recovery Actions

- Deployment of mobile peace education and mediation activities in schools and secure community spaces.
- Training of children and adolescents as peer mediators in dialogue and non-violent conflict resolution.
- Psychosocial skill-building focused on communication, empathy, cooperation, and negotiation.
- Awareness-raising activities on children’s rights and child protection.
- Referral and coordination with education and protection actors for children at heightened risk.

Target Groups

- In-school children and adolescents (primary and secondary levels).
- Out-of-school children living in surrounding communities.
- Teachers, school administrators, and educational staff.
- Parents and community actors linked to schools and youth spaces.

Direct Beneficiaries

Children and adolescents, both in-school and out-of-school, teachers, and educational actors in violence-affected areas across four departments: West, Artibonite, South, and North.

Cross-Cutting Inclusion

- Child rights–based and child protection–centered approach.
- Gender equality and balanced participation of girls and boys.
- Inclusion of children from vulnerable and marginalized backgrounds.
- Application of the Do No Harm principle in all interventions.

Expected Results

- Children and adolescents demonstrate improved capacities to manage conflicts peacefully.
- Reduced incidents of violence in school and community environments.
- Strengthened social cohesion between in-school and out-of-school children.
- Schools and communities report a safer and more peaceful climate.

Viability and Sustainability

Sustainability is ensured through the peer-led mediation model, continuous mentoring by educators, and the progressive integration of mediation as a school-based and community extracurricular activity. Documentation and capitalization of good practices support future scaling and institutional adoption.

Strategic Impact

EPAMS contributes to violence prevention, child protection, and social cohesion by embedding peace education and mediation at an early age. The project aligns with national frameworks and directly supports Sustainable Development Goals 1, 3, 4, 10, 16, and 17, reinforcing the humanitarian–development–peace nexus.

A Call for Collective Action

Supporting EPAMS means investing in a preventive, high-impact solution that addresses the root causes of violence while strengthening children’s resilience and leadership. Partners are invited to support training, deployment, and scaling of this model, contributing to a generation of children equipped to resolve conflicts peacefully and build a shared future of stability and cohesion.

Women Empowered Learn, Undertake, and Shape the Future

Haiti’s prolonged crisis, marked by insecurity, internal displacement, and the erosion of livelihoods, has disproportionately affected women, many of whom are young, displaced, and heads of household. Loss of income, limited access to education and professional tools, and heightened exposure to violence have deepened vulnerability and dependence on humanitarian assistance. In this context, women’s economic empowerment is not a sectoral add-on but a strategic humanitarian response that can stabilize households, protect children, and strengthen community resilience.

Overall Objective

To enable economically vulnerable and displaced women to transition from emergency assistance toward sustainable self-reliance through marketable skills, leadership development, and access to productive tools.

Emergency–Recovery Actions

- Rapid skills training (6 weeks) in photography, graphic design, and social media management, skills that are immediately marketable even in crisis settings.
- Leadership and negotiation training to strengthen women’s confidence, pricing, client acquisition, and partnership building.
- Establishment of an incubation and equipment center providing access to cameras, computers, software, and technical coaching.
- Post-training accompaniment to support income generation, service delivery, and market insertion.

Target Groups

- Internally displaced women, particularly young women aged 16–30.
- Women heads of household and women at risk of gender-based violence.
- Women with limited access to education, tools, and economic networks.

Direct Beneficiaries

- 50 internally displaced young women trained and supported during the pilot phase.
- Indirect beneficiaries include families, children, host communities, and local organizations benefiting from increased incomes and skills transfer.

Cross-Cutting Inclusion

- Gender-transformative approach centered on women’s leadership.
- Priority inclusion of displaced women and women in vulnerable situations.
- Attention to accessibility for women living with disabilities.
- Respect for dignity, participation, and Do No Harm principles.

Expected Results

- 50 women certified with professional portfolios.
- At least 70% of participants engaged in income-generating activities within six months.
- Increased self-confidence, negotiation capacity, and economic autonomy.
- Reduced household dependence on emergency humanitarian assistance.

Viability and Sustainability

Sustainability is ensured through the incubation and equipment center, ongoing technical coaching, and transferable digital skills adaptable to multiple markets. The pilot is designed to be replicable and scalable, with lessons documented to inform expansion.

Strategic Impact

Women Empowered strengthens the Humanitarian–Development–Peace nexus by transforming emergency response into durable economic pathways. It contributes directly to SDGs 1, 4, 5, 8, and 16, reinforcing social cohesion, local economies, and women’s leadership in crisis-affected communities.

A Call for Collective Action

Women Empowered calls on partners to support a high-impact, low-cost intervention that places women at the center of recovery. By investing in skills training, equipment, and accompaniment, partners help build pathways to dignity and autonomy for women, strengthening families, communities, and the prospects for lasting stability.

KOUT POUS Another Way to Move Humanitarian Assistance Forward

Haiti is experiencing a prolonged humanitarian, economic, and social crisis that has severely undermined household livelihoods. Nearly 5.5 million people require humanitarian assistance, and more than 4.5 million face acute food insecurity. Internal displacement (≈1.5 million people) forced returns of migrants, and weak local economies, where the informal sector dominates employment, have deepened dependence on humanitarian aid.
At the same time, financial exclusion remains a major barrier to recovery. Fewer than 30% of adults have access to formal financial services, dropping below 15% among the most vulnerable households, a situation exacerbated by high and persistent inflation. Humanitarian assistance, while essential, often remains consumptive, limiting pathways to self-reliance.
Kout Pous (A Helping Hand) responds to this gap by transforming humanitarian assistance into a lever for productive investment through a community-based, concessional, revolving finance mechanism.

Overall Objective

To support a sustainable transition from humanitarian assistance to economic self-reliance for vulnerable populations through an inclusive and community-driven concessional finance mechanism.

Emergency-Recovery Actions

- Concessional Community Loans: HTG 50,000–250,000 with a symbolic 0.5% monthly interest rate to finance income-generating activities.
- Capacity Building: Simplified financial management and business structuring support tailored to vulnerable households.
- Close Accompaniment: Individual coaching and regular follow-up to ensure viability and repayment discipline.
- Community Governance: Social oversight and accountability mechanisms to promote transparency and cohesion.

Target Groups

- Internally displaced persons
- Forcibly returned migrants
- Vulnerable households in host communities

Direct Beneficiaries

1,000 vulnerable households, supported through three cohorts:
- 250 households
- 350 households
- 400 households

Cross-Cutting Inclusion

- ≥ 50% women
- ≥ 30% youth
- Targeted attention to persons living with disabilities

Expected Results

- 1,000 households gain sustainable access to productive capital
- 1,000 income-generating activities created, recovered, or consolidated
- ≥40% reduction in dependence on recurrent humanitarian aid within 24 months
- Strengthened social and economic cohesion across displaced, returned, and host communities
- Community credit histories established for ≥80% of beneficiaries, enabling future financial inclusion

Viability and Sustainability

Even under conservative assumptions (38% full repayment; 62% partial at 50%), the revolving fund is replenished over time, enabling additional cohorts without proportional new funding. A performance-based incentive (up to 25% bonus for full repayment) reinforces discipline and long-term sustainability.

Strategic Impact

- Stimulates local economies and employment
- Reduces social tensions through inclusive, transparent mechanisms
- Strengthens financial inclusion
- Aligns with the Humanitarian–Recovery–Development nexus
- Contributes directly to SDGs 1, 5, 8, 10, and 16