A three-month peacebuilding and livelihood enhancement project in Pajok Payam, Magwi County, combining non-violence training, a Sport for Peace football tournament, and a community-wide peace dialogue.
Pajok Payam in Magwi County has experienced repeated cycles of displacement and intercommunal tension, leaving young people with few structured opportunities to channel their energy constructively. Many youth had grown up surrounded by conflict narratives, with limited exposure to peacebuilding skills or safe spaces to engage across community lines.
Implemented in partnership with Dan Church Aid (DCA) and funded by DANIDA and USAID, this project ran from October to December 2022 with a clear focus on peacebuilding and livelihood enhancement for youth in Magwi County. YSAT designed activities that combined skills training with practical, visible community engagement — recognising that peacebuilding messages land best when delivered through activities young people actually want to participate in.
The project deliberately balanced structured training (non-violence peacebuilding) with informal, high-participation activities (a football tournament and community dialogue), creating multiple entry points for different segments of the youth population to engage with peace messaging.
YSAT delivered a three-day non-violence peacebuilding training to 40 youth from Pajok Payam, comprising 23 males and 17 females. The training covered conflict analysis, non-violent communication, and practical approaches to de-escalating disputes within families and communities — equipping participants to act as peace influencers among their peers.
A Sport for Peace football tournament brought together 10 teams from across Pajok Payam, using football as a platform to bring young people from different backgrounds together in friendly competition. The tournament created a shared community moment where peace messaging could be delivered to large crowds in an informal, celebratory setting.
A community peace dialogue brought together over 150 community members — 40 women and 110 men — to discuss local sources of tension and reinforce the messages delivered through the training and tournament. The dialogue gave community elders and local leaders a chance to publicly endorse the peace messaging carried by trained youth.
Youth trained in non-violence peacebuilding (23 male, 17 female)
Football teams participated in the Sport for Peace tournament
Community members attended the peace dialogue (40 women, 110 men)
Months of project implementation in Pajok Payam