Work Ethic and Culture

Tilwate Peace Network is deeply rooted in the communities it serves. Our approach to community engagement is based on respectful, inclusive, and sustained dialogue with all, guided by the belief that lasting peace must be driven locally and owned by the community.

Key elements of our community engagement approach:

• Listen first, always: TPN prioritizes listening to all stakeholders, including those in communities that may be initially reluctant or resistant. By understanding and validating their concerns, we ensure that our interventions are tailored, context-specific, and grounded in local realities. 

• Transparent and accessible communication: We adapt our communication methods to clearly explain our objectives, principles, and expected outcomes in a way that is accessible to all, including through community outreach in local languages. This helps to increase transparency, combat misinformation, and build the trust necessary for meaningful engagement.

• Strong local presence and trust building: Through a network of peace ambassadors integrated into communities, TPN maintains a constant and reliable presence. This allows us to stay attuned to local dynamics, respond quickly to emerging issues, and foster long-term relationships with community members.

• Early and inclusive engagement: Tilwate Peace Network involves stakeholders from the outset of the design and planning of all projects. We maintain regular and open channels of communication with local actors, which fosters a sense of ownership and alignment with project objectives. This early buy-in encourages long-term support and shared commitment. 

• Collaboration with influential local leaders: We work closely with local administrative authorities, elected officials, traditional and customary leaders, and religious figures, who play a key role in shaping public opinion and facilitating community acceptance. Their involvement helps ensure broad support and legitimacy for our initiatives.

• Participatory needs assessments and dialogue: Tilwate Peace Network organizes community consultations and listening sessions to jointly identify priorities, challenges, and solutions. Our inclusive dialogue processes involve youth, women, elders, and marginalized groups to strengthen social cohesion and collective problem-solving.

• Capacity building and empowerment: TPN invests in building the capacity of local actors, particularly women, youth, and displaced persons, to become peacemakers, mediators, and advocates. Many of our trained community members now play an active role in conflict prevention and resolution in their regions.

• Cultural sensitivity and local legitimacy: Our programs respect and, where appropriate, integrate traditional conflict resolution mechanisms and local customs, ensuring that our work is not only effective but also locally legitimate and culturally sensitive.

Tilwate Peace Network has had a lasting and transformative impact in conflict-affected areas of Mali by promoting peace, supporting victims, and empowering local actors, particularly women, youth, and children, to become agents of change in their own communities.

Through its community-based approach to peacebuilding, Tilwate Peace Network has achieved the following:

• Trained and mobilized hundreds of peace ambassadors, many of whom are now recognized and respected as trusted peacemakers, not only within their own communities but also in neighboring areas. Their neutrality, reliability, and reputation for conflict resolution make them highly sought after in times of local tension or crisis. 

• Challenged and changed deeply entrenched social norms, particularly those concerning the role of women in peacebuilding. Historically marginalized in conflict resolution processes, women from communities affected by TPN are now respected as peace ambassadors, mediators, and community leaders. This change, achieved through sustained engagement, advocacy, and awareness-raising, has influenced even the most reluctant stakeholders and helped to embed a culture of peaceful conflict resolution at the local level. 

• Contribution to greater social cohesion in regions such as Doucombo (Bandiagara), Gao, and Timbuktu, where trust between communities has been restored through inclusive dialogue and reconciliation efforts facilitated by the Tilwate Peace Network.

• Support for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) through psychosocial services, awareness campaigns, and the creation of safe spaces, particularly in regions where stigma often silences victims.

• Creation of economic reintegration opportunities for victims of violence, women, and youth by promoting inclusive and restorative economic models that help reduce vulnerability to recruitment by armed groups.

• Opening up digital and global opportunities for conflict-affected youth, including by organizing Mali's participation in the FIRST Global Challenge international robotics competition since 2019, an initiative that combines social cohesion, innovation, and education.

• Influenced government practices, including through stakeholder engagement and awareness-raising, which has helped to change the authorities' approach to civil-military relations. Tilwate Peace Network's efforts have encouraged the adoption of civil-military coordination strategies, and regular dialogues are now held between military actors and local communities to promote peace and mutual understanding.