The project “Foniké – Social Entrepreneurs for Peace in Guinea,” was implemented from January 2020 to December 2021, by Search Guinea, in partnership with the Association des Blogueurs de Guinée, the Club des Jeunes Filles Leaders de Guinée, Osez Innover, and the Parlement des Jeunes de l’Union du fleuve Mano pour la Paix, and with support from the UN Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF).
The project leveraged the Youth 360 approach to empower young men and young women to contribute to reducing socio-political conflicts and to strengthening social cohesion in their communities. The project also sought to transform broader community and decision-maker perspectives on youth, their role in advancing social cohesion, and the importance of including them in peace efforts.
The evaluation highlighted the impact of the program in terms of strengthening youth leadership in peacebuilding. There was a significant increase (+37% point) in the proportion of community members who believe that youth leadership contributed to reduce socio-political conflicts in their community. At the same time, the proportion of respondents who say that there are conflicts in their community reduced by half by the end of the project. Respondents also confirmed an improvement in social cohesion in their community over the past 12 months, and the proportion of community leaders and decision makers who have increased understanding of the role of youth in promoting social cohesion also increased by the end of the project (+12% point). Finally, advocacy supported by the project led to authorities in the target communities including a peacebuilding component to local development plans, with dedicated budget lines committed to support it.
