In contexts of crisis and displacement, peaceful coexistence between different communities is crucial. INTERSOS is working in Iraq, Chad, and Cameroon to strengthen bonds within communities, promote inclusion, and overcome tensions. Through group sessions, dialogue, and psychological support, INTERSOS helps communities find lasting solutions together and build a future of peace and cooperation.
In countries hosting large numbers of refugees or experiencing mass displacement, tensions and conflicts often arise between communities. In these contexts, work to promote peaceful coexistence between communities is crucial. INTERSOS carries out social cohesion activities in several countries, including Iraq, Chad and Cameroon. Here we help communities to find lasting solutions to their problems together, through a dynamic process of social cohesion that aims to strengthen bonds within communities, promoting inclusion, participation and peaceful coexistence. This vision is rooted in a community-based protection model that empowers communities to find lasting solutions to their challenges.
Our approach involves a series of activities that actively engage community members. We organise group sessions to promote the exchange of experiences, constructive dialogue, and the acquisition of tools to address challenges. Specialised staff facilitate these meetings and help people dispel stereotypes and understand each other better. We discuss how to deal with difficulties, and try to strengthen individual and collective capacities and foster mutual understanding and acceptance.
Activities gradually introduce opportunities for dialogue in various forms – as and when participants desire – following a strategy aimed at strengthening local voices in support of peaceful coexistence and reintegration, ensuring that participants do not perceive the process as imposed.
The ultimate goal is to support the creation of conditions conducive to peaceful coexistence, strengthening community-based psychosocial support services and improving the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable population groups. We pay particular attention to improving coping capacities, resilience, and social cohesion among groups divided by war, misconceptions, and stereotypes, and in displacement contexts where tensions between refugee and host communities are heightened.
Iraq
In Iraq, in Qayyarah, INTERSOS is carrying out a social cohesion project aimed at facilitating the reintegration of Families Perceived as Affiliated (FPA) with ISIS into the community. We organise peer support groups and individual and family psychosocial support sessions based on specific approaches such as the “Nurturing Families Curriculum” to strengthen coping capacities and family relationships. Additionally, we conduct group psychosocial sessions, recreational activities, and skills development, which are always integrated with awareness-raising activities on psychosocial well-being. A key aspect of the project is intercultural dialogue, facilitated through experience-sharing sessions and creative activities such as storytelling, video messages, and poetry, aimed at creating new narratives and promoting mutual understanding between FPAs, Victim Families (VFs), and the host community. Finally, we support community-based protection initiatives, directly involving the local population in risk mapping, action planning, and dialogue with local authorities.
Cameroon
Cameroon is facing two major humanitarian crises. In the northwest and southwest, the armed conflict by Ambazonian separatists, active since 2017, has weakened social cohesion and led to human rights violations and forced population displacement, with 1.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and more than 583,000 internally displaced. In the Far North, the situation is exacerbated by Boko Haram attacks and intercommunal conflicts, on top of the difficulties caused by natural disasters, such as floods that have affected more than 236,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes and crops.
Social cohesion activities in Cameroon are essential to rebuilding community ties weakened by conflict and disasters. The approach involves all segments of the community—traditional and religious leaders, women, youth, and vulnerable people—to promote dialogue and cooperation. Through meetings, mediation, and recreational activities such as football or community meals, spaces for dialogue are created, and mutual understanding is promoted. A risk assessment precedes each intervention to ensure that activities are appropriate to local needs, with regular feedback mechanisms to adapt action plans.
Chad
In Chad, a country hosting large numbers of refugees, communities are clashing over access to the few natural resources available, which are becoming increasingly scarce due to climate change. Disputes between farmers and herders and tensions between host communities and displaced people have led to population displacement and human rights abuses. In addition, disasters such as desertification and flooding exacerbate insecurity, damage infrastructure and livelihoods, and force many people to migrate.
In response to these challenges, INTERSOS actively involves community members and local authorities with initiatives such as sports and cultural activities for adolescents and young people, inter-community dialogues to address tensions, social cohesion awareness through radio and information materials, and the formation of local conflict management committees. Safe spaces for recreational activities have been created, as well as centres for gathering feedback and ensuring the transparency of humanitarian aid. These activities aim to reduce tensions, improve peaceful coexistence and strengthen the resilience of communities, fostering better management of resources and promoting peace. Through these efforts, affected populations can integrate, work together and build a more stable and harmonious future.