Restoring Dignity: Peace Building and Development Work in Communities Affected by Violence, Poverty, HIV and AIDS

This handbook, published by Sinani/KwaZulu-Natal Programme for Survivors of Violence, discusses peace building and development work in communities affected by violence, poverty, and HIV and AIDS. Designed to be used by community practitioners, it includes sections on working with trauma, promoting respect, addressing gender-based violence, and working with ex-combatants and vulnerable children. It uses a community approach that builds on community resources to strengthen the social fabric, break problem cycles, and empower individuals. It includes facilitation methods, initial research and analysis methods, and monitoring methods, among others.

The handbook contains 4 parts that each provide information on different aspects of peace building and development:

• Part A - REFLECTING: is designed to provide a foundation for understanding and developing community-based interventions.
• Part B - STRATEGISING AND PLANNING: intends to help guide readers through: identifying needs, goals, and objectives; planning an intervention process; and creating the steps to follow.
• Part C - ACTING - GENERAL SKILLS AND PROCEDURES: covers basic skills and approaches which apply to community work, including participatory research and community profiling, creating learning opportunities through workshops, and supporting community-based structures.
• Part D - ACTING - PROGRAMME SPECIFIC SKILLS AND INSTRUMENTS: deals with programme-specific instruments and approaches to community work that are specifically directed at conflict and violence, poverty, and HIV and AIDS.