The Basics: The Kagiso Project is a pilot initiative designed by girl child empowerment organization Queen Esther and myself to use leadership training, peace education, and conflict transformation training to combat conflict in the school system. This project recruits and trains students and teachers to undergo leadership and conflict transformation training so that they can participate in a new peer mediation programme to peacefully resolve conflict amongst their peers.They are also tasked with educating the general school population on leadership and peaceful interaction.

Location: Maun, Botswana

Funder: The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, via the Volunteer Activities Support and Training (VAST) Grant for Gender-Based Violence

Implementing Partners: Maun Senior Secondary School, Tsodilo Junior Secondary School, Maun Tribal Administration

Timeframe: September 2014 – September 2015

Project Accomplishments

• The Kagiso Project improved conflict resolution and leadership skills of 36 student and teacher Peace Leaders.
• The Project improved conflict resolution and leadership skills of 5 local traditional leaders.
• The Project reached 2,091 students and teachers with interventions addressing gender-based violence, bullying, teacher-student partnership, and peaceful, inclusive conflict resolution.