Baani Batto Conflict Prevention and Recovery Program

World Education, Inc. and its sub-awardee Aide à L’Enfant du Désert et du Sahel (AEDS) are empowering local organizations to support the needs of conflict-affected communities in northern Mali's Gao, Menaka, and Kidal regions through the Baani Batto Conflict Prevention and Recovery Program, part of USAID’s Conflict Prevention and Recovery Program.

The 2015 Algiers Accord between the Mali Government and the rebels aims to restore peace within the country after decades of conflict in Northern Mali marked by a steep decline into instability in 2012. However, lack of consensus on the agreement has led to a blockage in its implementation, which has led to fragmented social cohesion and an absence of trust and meaningful communication between communities and local authorities. These problems have stymied conflict recovery and prevention activities.

World Education's approach to conlict prevention and recovery in northern Mali is to ensure that communities in conflict zones have the tools and organizational structures to address conflict and building trust within and between communities and local government agencies. We promote collaboration with the transition government and other peacebuilding actors and intentional learning about community needs to help prepare communities, local NGOs, and other development actors to address future conflict. 

Baani Batto activities convene groups and individuals to engage in meaningful dialogue by explicitly determining shared goals, working collaboratively toward accomplishing them, and reflecting on the process in a supportive atmosphere.

The Baani Batto Activity, a Songhay phrase meaning “A Space for Peace”, has three objectives:

1. Address grievances and reconciliation stemming from conflict;
2. Support cohesion and trust building within and between communities and local government institutions; and
3. Learn about the intersection of conflict and community-level needs and perceptions during the democratic transition to inform USAID programming decisions.

The program expects to provide the following outcomes:

• Increase the percent of community  members  who  report  that  local  level  reconciliation processes are stronger 
• Increase the percent of community members who report that decision making around conflict prevention and reconciliation is more inclusive 
• Increase social cohesion and trust between community and local government
• Increase understanding of community-level and transition authorities needs and perceptions

Baani Batto uses World Education's Participatory Community Diagnostic approach to develop an action plan for communities to address the challenges of resolving conflict and building resilience. The project promotes local sustainability by building the capacity of nine existing Conflict Management Committees using our Organizational Capacity Assessment. These committees convey accessible messages about communities' and local transition authorities' rights, responsibilities, and duties relating to conflict management and prevention, and local governance.

World Education will use an integrated monitoring, evaluation, and learning process to determine evidence-based practices for wider use within the country and, ultimately, measure the program's success.