Centre for Study and Social Action (CENEAS).
Founded in 1997, the Centre for Study and Social Action (CENEAS) is staffed by 15 permanent employees and 45 local correspondents who work to research and resolve conflict in the Uvira and Fizi territories of the eastern DR Congo. Through their research, the centre provides seminars, meetings and emergency response projects to conflict in the region. CENEAS is targeted towards community-level change and develops peacebuilding initiatives that incorporate the central pillars of local society.
Football for Peace
This is an initiative which uses sport to bridge the divides between communities, bringing young people together and involving wider society in peaceful collaborative matches. The project aims to bring together various communities in Uvira and Fizi and contribute to the national peace process by improving relations in the area. CENEAS staff and board members, representatives from different communities, and supportive local authority officers come together to organise teams and matches.
A local radio programme highlights the impact of football on peacebuilding. The teams also attend talks on peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Ten teams have been created, made up of various different groups, including two teams of former child soldiers. Five matches have been organised, attracting huge audiences from the local communities. CENAS are also looking to help bridge the communities through other sports including karate, basketball and a marathon.
