Development for Peace Education

DEVELOPMENT FOR PEACE EDUCATION PROFILE

INTRODUCTION

Development For Peace Education is a Basotho ecumenical organisation whose aim is to facilitate the empowerment of the needy and the marginalized people in our society. Since its inception in 1987, this organisation has been offering very meaningful community based development education. The aim of these activities is to improve the awareness of communities to their own problems and to assist them to find relevant solutions together. The ideology behind these being participatory learning, in which learning is through self-discovery. The whole initiative is for participatory development where development shall be through people's participation. Education and development are seen as common search for solutions.

MISSION

The mission of the organisation states that DPE is a Basotho ecumenical organisation whose aim is to facilitate the empowerment of the needy people in our society And Advocate for social inclusion.

VISION

Our vision is that all Basotho are made aware and conscious of working together in communities allover the country:

·        To look at their problems.

·        To analyse them in the light of gospel.

·        To find solutions together and plan action and conform to gospel values and to implement the planned action and infinitely repeat the process every time.

Reflecting the previous action plan, i.e. identifying new problems, analysing them and planning action which improves on the previous plan.

We see this at the moment as the route to getting to root-cause of our problems and to their eventual elimination. DPE programme in Lesotho has begun what should have started long ago, to help Basotho to move away from dependence to interdependence and sustainable development. DPE teaches people to learn to solve their own problems by learning what they can be able to do together.

In order to achieve its goals, it set itself the following tasks:

·        To encourage and promote genuine dialogue within groups and communities so that people can work together in identifying their commo] problems, analysing them and working out strategies to address them collectively.

·        To equip groups and communities with practical and technical skills for implementation of their projects.

·        To encourage and promote genuine dialogue within groups and communities so that people can work together in identifying their commo: problems and analyse them and work out strategies to address them collectively.  

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DPE SKILLS

With the foregoing, it is clear that DPE has a profound experience of interacting with communities; in addition, it has well trained staff in a variety of areas, such as:

• Community organising

• Conflict Resolution

• Human Rights Empowennent

• Democracy (Civic Education).

• Exchange Programmes (Networks)

• Environmental Care Leadership Training

• Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)

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ACTIVITIES

Community organising

Reformation of the Lesotho Highlands revenue fund survey.

DPE undertook the community needs assessment for the Ministry of Economic Planning and the World Bank in the 22 communities country-wide for the formation of the Lesotho Highlands revenue fund in 1998. Apart from that in 2001, DPE undertook the needs assessment updates for Lesotho funds for nmunity developments in four of 22 communities, being Phahameng Ha Seotsa, and Bobatsi in the Mokhotlong district. Ha Mapa and Baking in Berea trict.

Conflict Resolution:

DPE formulated the community-policing groups in Qabane valley (Anti-stock theft groups), also DPE is affiliated with Asian Rural Institute, which advocates for peace in different areas. Currently DPE is under-going negotiation with peace centre at Cape Town to train us in conflict management programme which is aimed at helping communities affected by cross-border stock-theft.

Human Rights Empowerment:

Under this programme the organisation has formed partnerships with several organisations. DPE is a service provider for Leadership Regional Network which is a partnership between the Christian Council of Lesotho and Institution of Extra Mural Studies (National University of Lesotho). DPE conducted training wrokshop on topics such as: Advocacy, African Charter, etc.

Democracy:

DPE has a profound experience in issues such as election observation, voters education. Regarding this two topics DPE as an affiliate member to Lesotho Council of NGOs has always been involved in Election observers missions and voters education campaigns e.g. 2002 Lesotho General Elections and Zimbabwe General Elections.

Exchange Programmes

DPE is a core-founder of EURO-AFRICAN exchange programme, which aims at experience sharing, study tours and capacity building among member organisations. DPE also is in partnership with the Ministry of Education (Denmark) under the open learning programme in which every year there are young people sent to Lesotho for a period of three to six months. DPE is a member of Joining Hands Against Hunger which is a network formed by the Presbyterian Church of the USA

Environmental Care

Other DPE groups are dependIng on Clay pot making and handicrafts so it has always been DPE’s concern to sensitise those communities in issues such as destroying indigenous plants and soil erosion, also clean water supply has been of a great concern to DPE e.g. spring catchments in rural areas.

Leadership Training

This Programme aims at capacitating the communities in order to demonstrate their competence and skills by strengthening them and leaving them in a position to address the root-causes of their own problems. The main focus is the reduction of economic, spiritual and social poverty. Several training workshops have been conducted e.g. Leadership training workshop for LeaRN Lesotho.

Participatory Rural Appraisal

Project evaluation for GROW project at Mokhotlong.

DPE conducted evaluation training for the Gardening for Rural Organisation and Well-being (GROW) project steering committees, carrying out an evaluation of the project for its first three months of the year plan that it uses in interacting with communities.

Participatory Poverty Assessment for (PRSP)

Most recent projects include: PRA training on behalf of the Ministry of Planning for the District Area Team Trainillg in Quthing and Qacha's Nek (informed by National Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper formulation); and also conducted the study for PRSP in Mohales Hoek District.

Participatory Poverty Assessment for CCL

DPE also conducted a participatory rural appraisal for the Christian Council of Lesotho involving Integrated Rural Development Project at Ha Sekake in Qacha's Nek.

School building project for Irish-Aid and MPP

DPE has been a service provider for Irish-Aid school building project along Senqu valley and again recently conducted field appraisal for Micro Project Programme (MPP) in the Maseru District. This was aimed at schools, which applied funding from MPP.

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DPE KEY PERSONNEL

At present DPE has a staff complement of seven. DPE does not work in a traditional hierarchical manner, but is flexible depending on the varying need projects undertaken.

Libe Moremoholo – Acting Director