Peace and Development Foundation (PDF-Africa).

The Peace and Development Foundation-Africa (PDF-Africa) was founded out of the need to transform a culture of violence in the areas of operation into one of non-violence and reconciliation. PDF-Africa also aims to contribute to environmental conservation as a way of peaceful living with communities’ surroundings and address human-animal conflicts that exist in areas near National Game Parks and Game reserves.

PDF-Africa’s vision is for, “A Reconciled, Developed Harmonious Society and Ecosystem.”

Mission: “Building Sustainable Peace through promoting a culture of Non-violence and Reconciliation.”

Programme Focus Areas

Programme Component 1: Education for Peace

With many dimensions of conflict constantly emerging, there is need to plant seeds of non-violence and reconciliation in schools where no opportunity exists for students to study peacebuilding; this programme would give them the necessary knowledge and skills required.

This programme targets secondary and tertiary students. It is hinged on the background that students in Uganda have continuously sought violent approaches to settle differences between them and administrators. This unfortunately results into heavy fines borne by poor and economically struggling parents. Also this interferes with the smooth learning process of the students who in due course perform poorly and may fail to realise their future dreams and aspirations.

The Peace Education programme also gives the opportunity for disadvantaged students the chance to continue with their education through a scholarship scheme for secondary and tertiary students.

Programme Component 2: Human-Animal Conflict

While elephants are major economic assets in generating tourist revenue, crop raiding by elephants is a cause of increasing levels of conflict between local people and wildlife management strategies across Africa. Unless a cost-effective method of limiting crop damage is found, the pressure on wildlife managers to implement radical methods (such as culling) may become a reality. Conventional methods for keeping elephants away from crops use mostly fortified boundaries, typically electric fences. However these are expensive, difficult to maintain and have met with only limited success. Research now needs to focus on alternative, low cost deterrent methods that can be managed and implemented by the farmers themselves.