the course | current developments
The goal of the Conflict Resolution course is to instill values of living and working cooperatively with tolerance and respect, while caring for others in the community. The course aims to inform children of the dangers of violence and teach them how to prevent and resolve disputes and how to become responsible citizens and agents for peace.
Armed conflict has a vast impact on health and social development. CNIS and the Injury Control Centre – Uganda (ICC-U) have studied the impact that armed conflict has on the injury pandemic. Our research showed that injury was much higher (700%) in the war torn district of Gulu in Northern Uganda than in the center of the country. In Gulu, the schools were battlegrounds for the rebels and the national army. Children were often forced to become soldiers, sex slaves or porters. The research by CNIS and ICC-U demonstrated that the average Gulu child was very traumatized and that all children were affected by war, not only the child soldiers.
International aid is typically concentrated on the child soldiers and very little is done for the average child; CNIS aims to provide aid to all children.
The Course
With the financial support of the CIDA Peace Building Unit, CNIS and ICC-U implemented a non-violent conflict resolution curriculum for primary school students in grade five. The project included an evaluation of injury, violence and attitudes, provided first-aid kits for the schools, first-aid training for the teachers and the preparation of a curriculum and teacher training in non-violent conflict resolution. The course was introduced in 6 schools in Gulu in 2003 and by 2005 it was part of the curriculum for 50 primary schools in the area. In 2008, the program was translated and implemented in Axum (Northern Ethiopia), which has also recently been affected by war.
Current Developments
Since peace building and conflict resolution are universally important skills, CNIS is working to introduce the course material to our global classroom program in Canada. The Salama Safari will allow Canadian school children to go on a virtual bike trip through Africa, while learning the key areas of peace building.
Peacebuilding Course Manuals can be purchased directly from the CNIS.
