Ghion Peace, Reconciliation, and Development Association (GPRDA) held a one-day project familiarization workshop at Jantekel Hotel for its WHH-funded initiative on 15th December 2024. This project aims to enhance trust in informal institutions and local peacebuilders through capacity-strengthening training and awareness-raising activities.
The workshop was attended by representatives from faith-based organizations (FBOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), government offices, civil society organizations, elders, and women and youth associations.
Mr. Bewket Dereje, Program Manager at GPRDA, presented the project to the attendees. He reiterated GPRDA’s commitment to involving stakeholders and beneficiaries from the project design stage. Mr. Bewket emphasized that the WHH-funded project will significantly contribute to addressing local vacuums and mitigating the impacts of conflict in Gondar City Administration and Central Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region.
The project aims to improve trust in informal institutions and local peacebuilders. It seeks to enhance the capacity and visibility of informal institutions to foster peaceful coexistence. Additionally, the project focuses on increasing the capacity and participation of women in peacebuilding initiatives. It also aims to prevent gender-based violence in conflict situations through stakeholder sensitization, panel discussions, and capacity-strengthening training for women.
Following Mr. Bewket’s presentation, a question-and-answer session and detailed discussions took place. Stakeholders and representatives from various sectors provided feedback to enhance the effective implementation of the project. The discussions underscored the weakened role of informal institutions due to the ongoing cycle of conflict and violence in the Amhara region, which has posed significant challenges to the public. Participants also stressed the importance of planning for the project’s sustainability and collaborating with government bodies such as peace and security offices, the justice sector, and women and children’s affairs offices.
