Strategy and vision
Approach and methods
Tilwate Peace Network tackles the complex challenges faced by conflict-affected communities in Mali through an integrated, community-based approach that combines peacebuilding, social cohesion, victim support, and advocacy.
TPN's work focuses on the following key strategies:
- Peacebuilding and community-led dialogues: Tilwate Peace Network facilitates inclusive dialogue and mediation processes involving youth, women, customary and traditional leaders, spiritual and religious leaders, and local authorities to reduce community violence and strengthen social cohesion.
- Support for victims of violence and discrimination: TPN provides psychosocial support, referral services, and safe spaces for survivors of gender-based violence and other forms of abuse. Special attention is given to women, youth, and children, who are often victims of stigma and exclusion.
- Promotion of restorative and healing economies: Through training in income-generating activities and livelihoods, economic empowerment programs, and local development initiatives, Tilwate Peace Network helps victims and vulnerable groups rebuild their lives and reduce the risk of being recruited again by armed groups.
- Youth engagement and empowerment: TPN creates opportunities for young people through education, skills development, and innovation. For example, by organizing Mali's participation in international robotics competitions, Tilwate Peace Network promotes inclusion and exposes young people to global and digital spaces.
- Support for education and reintegration: In areas affected by school closures, TPN works with communities to promote alternative learning solutions and advocate for the reintegration of out-of-school children, particularly those from nomadic or displaced backgrounds.
- Access to and management of conflict-sensitive natural resources: Tilwate Peace Network facilitates local dialogues between farmers, herders, fishermen, gold miners, and other stakeholders to mitigate (often violent) conflicts over land, water, and mineral resources.
- Advocacy: TPN engages in strategic advocacy with decision-makers to promote inclusive, victim-centered policies and supports the creation of frameworks that guarantee access to justice, reparations, and lasting peace.
By grounding its interventions in local realities and building strong trust within communities, Tilwate Peace Network ensures that its programs are both relevant and sustainable, paving the way for long-term peace.
Leadership development
At Tilwate Peace Network, we believe that strong, values-based leadership is essential to building lasting peace and influencing policy. We combine structured mentoring, capacity building, and participatory governance to develop leadership within our organization and among our community partners.
Our leadership development strategies include:
- Mentoring and peer learning: Senior team members mentor new leaders within the organization, sharing their experience in mediation, conflict resolution, and political engagement. We also encourage intergenerational learning among peacemakers within the community.
- Capacity building and training: We regularly organize workshops and training sessions on leadership, negotiation, advocacy, and trauma-informed peacebuilding for both staff and volunteers. We partner with experts and institutions to ensure that these trainings are context-appropriate and skills-based.
- Inclusive leadership opportunities: We deliberately offer leadership roles to women, youth, and marginalized members of the community in our programs and governance structures. This ensures that diverse voices shape our direction and impact.
- Decentralized decision-making: TPN practices participatory leadership by involving team members at all levels in strategic planning and program design. This not only builds ownership, but also trains future leaders who understand both grassroots needs and the broader political landscape.
- Continuous reflection and learning: We build regular reflection sessions into our work, where leadership teams assess what is working, what needs improvement, and how leadership styles are evolving in response to challenges.
These practices ensure that leadership within the Tilwate Peace Network is not static but constantly evolving, grounded in lived experience, collaboration, and the principles of peace that we promote.
Ambition and goals
Tilwate Peace Network is guided by a strategic vision to build inclusive, peaceful, and resilient communities across Mali, with a particular focus on women, youth, and children who have been most affected by conflict, violence, and marginalization.
Building on the success of its past interventions, TPN aims to increase its impact by expanding its reach, deepening its programs, and forging stronger partnerships at the national, regional, and international levels.
Our strategic direction is based on five fundamental pillars:
- Peacebuilding and social cohesion: Tilwate Peace Network will continue to strengthen grassroots peace efforts through local mediation, inclusive dialogue, and the training of peace ambassadors. The goal is to institutionalize a culture of peaceful conflict resolution that is community-owned and sustainable.
- Victim support and inclusive recovery: TPN is committed to supporting survivors of conflict and violence, particularly women, youth, and internally displaced persons (IDPs), through psychosocial support, legal guidance, and long-term reintegration strategies that promote dignity and autonomy.
- Restorative and inclusive economic empowerment: Recognizing the importance of economic justice in peacebuilding, TPN is expanding its work to include income-generating activities (IGAs) and the promotion of a restorative economy. Tilwate Peace Network aims to mobilize and empower victims of conflict, particularly women and youth, to actively contribute to social cohesion and local development.
- Youth empowerment and innovation: Tilwate Peace Network will continue to invest in education, digital skills, and leadership opportunities for young people, enabling them to play a proactive role in peacebuilding and development. Initiatives such as managing the Mali team's participation in FIRST Global Challenge international robotics competitions over the years are part of this long-term strategy.
- Strategic partnerships: TPN seeks to expand its influence in political spheres by strengthening its collaboration with government institutions and civil society. We want to secure more funding and partnerships with donors in order to expand our project portfolio and geographical reach, particularly in western and southern Mali, and eventually in neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso and Niger.
Our other strategic ambitions are to:
- Create a center dedicated to welcoming, developing the skills, and empowering women and young people displaced within the country, offering long-term support and reintegration pathways to those affected by the conflict.
- Strengthen civil-military dialogue and coordination among different stakeholders to build trust and foster collaborative approaches to peace and security.
- Invest in data and research to inform evidence-based programming, improve targeting of victims, and document local peacebuilding practices for replication at scale.
Ultimately, Tilwate Peace Network's strategic direction is to amplify impact while remaining grounded in community needs and building bridges between local action and national or regional transformation. We believe that sustainable peace must be inclusive, locally led, and a source of economic empowerment.
Our commitment to gender equity
Within our organization, gender equality is a fundamental principle, both in our internal operations and in our community peacebuilding work. We recognize that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full participation and empowerment of all genders, particularly women and girls, who are often disproportionately affected by conflict.
Our commitment to gender equality is reflected in the following approaches:
- Inclusive leadership and recruitment: We actively encourage women and people of all genders to hold leadership positions within our organization. At all levels, from field coordinators to strategic planning teams, we ensure balanced gender representation and decision-making power.
- Gender-responsive programs: All our peacebuilding and conflict resolution programs are designed with a gender perspective. We conduct a gender analysis during project planning to ensure that the needs, experiences, and perspectives of women and men are understood and taken into account.
- Community empowerment: We organize leadership trainings and capacity-building workshops specifically for women and girls to enable them to play an active role in peace processes, mediation, and community advocacy.
- Safe spaces and protection: Tilwate Peace Network creates safe and inclusive environments in all areas of our programming, particularly for survivors of gender-based violence. We integrate psychosocial support and referral pathways into our work.
- Advocacy to promote gender equity: We advocate for gender-equitable policies at the local and national levels, including by strengthening women's participation in peace committees, policy-making forums, and traditional leadership structures.
- Internal policies and accountability: Our internal gender equality policy guides recruitment, programming, and organizational culture. We regularly review our practices to address gaps in equity and inclusion.
- Gender equality in all programs: Tilwate Peace Network ensures that at least 50% of participants in all projects are women, whether in peacebuilding, capacity building, advocacy, or economic recovery initiatives.
This is a deliberate and strategic commitment that goes beyond representation: it ensures that women are empowered as leaders, decision-makers, and agents of change within their communities.