The Cellule d’Etudes, de Soutien et d’Action pour le Développement et la Paix (Cell for Study, Support and Action for Development and Peace, CESADEP) was founded in 1997 by former members of Eirene, the German Christina peacebuilding NGO. Created with the suppot of Eirene, CESAPED works to support micro-projects and community groups from the ground up in their social, economic and peace development activities. It has been fully independent from Eirene since 2004. It conducts advocacy towards opinion leaders and administrative and traditional authorities, on issues related to women's access to land and input in decision making. A presentation and debate on the subject is carried out to engage local and village leaders and help allocate land for women to work on. CESADEP also runs courses on children's rights and establishes committees to help manage relations between farmers and herders in Chad. CESAPED has also supported more than 100 organisations in the Tandjilé region in the context of a World Bank-funded programme.
May and June 2015
CESADEP will undertake training for 150 agricultural and livestock rearing leaders from Mongo, Am timan and Go Beida, in eastern Chad. The work is supported by the World Bank. In Koumra, in the south, training is planned for 100 additional leaders.
2014 - 2016
CESADEP is currently implementing a project supporting food security and social cohesion in Bagaye with its partner organisation Pain pour le monde. The work includes training on conflict resolution, mediation and non-violent communication, involving presentations and group work and the re-training of other people. More than 240 people participated in this project in 2014.
2005-2010
CESADEP ran a project aimed at reducing poverty and supporting a culture of peace in Tandjilé and Logone Occidental. This included work on: Training and awareness-raising campaigns on non-violent dispute resolution, lobbying and advocacy, citizenship, human rights, mediation, peace, gender issues and combating violence against women. Activities included radio broadcasts, conferences and debates and training on natural resource management, with women and young people. More than 8000 people, almost of half them women, participated in this work.
Impact
Many positive impacts have been reported thanks to CESADEP's work, including:
- A reduction in marital violence and conflicts in schools, as well as property disputes in families.
- Increasing the skills pool in partner organisations, which are better equipped with mediation tehniques, legal knowledge and conflict prevention strategies.
- The integration of women into partner organisations and consequent impact on decision-making.
- Two additional leaders have been trained in Niger and Kenya, who are continuing the work in their respective countries, and CESADEP is in partnership negotiations to expand its work to the Nigerian and Nigerien border regions: Lac, Kanem and hadjer Lamis.
