This ‘four-sider’ paper summarises a longer evaluation report of Tearfund’s peacebuilding and gender work and the increased impact of integrating these approaches. The evaluation was commissioned in 2024 and focused on in-person data collection in Burundi, Burkina Faso, and Mali, and drew on remote data collection in Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan.
In total, the team conducted:
- 67 key informant interviews
- 46 focus group discussions
- 1,266 quantitative surveys.
The report covers the findings for each of the three approaches, Transforming Conflict, Transforming Masculinities and Journey to Healing as well as the impact when the three are combined into integrated programmes. It ends by listing the strengths of Tearfund’s work.
Together, these three approaches work synergistically to restore and transform individuals as well as entire communities. A community elder highlighted this connection, noting: 'It is very effective for them to be integrated because they are connected. When you handle SGBV, you often also handle the sources of conflict that are in the community';. Moreover, trained peacebuilding and gender champions noted that combining these methodologies provided them with a comprehensive toolkit to tackle issues at multiple community levels.
Incorporating a livelihoods component into certain projects further maximised the effectiveness of these core strategies. Survivors observed that livelihood opportunities enabled them to rebuild their dignity and secure future prospects for their families alongside their emotional healing. Additionally, for youth at risk of recruitment by armed groups, the boosted income from these activities altered their perspective, creating a strong disincentive to join.
