New Program Launch: Trauma in Peacebuilding

Civil society organizations and peacebuilders in Israel and Palestine are tirelessly working with deeply traumatized communities, while also carrying their own personal traumas and the daily harsh realities they face. Every day, they confront the profound scars left by cycles of war and violence. It is crucial to dismantle these cycles and introduce mechanisms to address unresolved trauma, offering a path towards healing and lasting peace for these communities. 

ALLMEP is proud to be partnering with Robert Bosch Stiftung to launch “Trauma in Peacebuilding” This new project will incorporate new approaches and strategies to address trauma, pain, and cycles of violence in Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilding communities. 

“Trauma in Peacebuilding ” was conceived after a January 2024 ALLMEP member NGOs’ survey found that such trauma services for members’ staff and beneficiaries should be the highest priority moving forward. However, many members lack the capacity, resources, or tools necessary to address ongoing trauma.

Thus, the project will begin by training 50 staff members in ALLMEP’s network by providing them with trauma-informed care and lessons on how to incorporate psychosocial support into their communities and programs. Simultaneously, ALLMEP will advocate to governments and other stakeholders around the world to emphasize the importance of integrating psychosocial support in conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts moving forward. 

ALLMEP recently hosted an event on June 27 alongside Robert Bosch Stiftung titled, “How to Carry On: Civil Society Peacebuilding Amidst Trauma.” This panel featured the voices of peace activist Yonatan Zeigen, peace strategist Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, and social and cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Ahmad Abu-Akel. 

This event highlighted the role of Israeli and Palestinian civil society in addressing the levels of trauma, disrupting cycles of violence and dehumanization, and the strategies necessary to help build peace in and between both peoples in Israel and Palestine now and after the war.

If you are interested in learning more about the project, it’s goals, and the structure of this newly established project, you can learn more about it here: https://www.bosch-stiftung.de/en/project/trauma-peacebuilding 

If you are interested in watching a recording of the event, it is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sxVOxpn_TSg?si=DTG_1wYnFS5T7Tn7

ALLMEP Executive Director John Lyndon alongside Yonatan Zeigen, Dr. Ahmad Abu-Akel, and Sanam Naraghi Anderlini

Senior Expert in the Peace Team at Robert Bosch Stiftung, Irene Weinz, and ALLMEP European Outreach Coordinator, Luisa Siemens

Photographer Credit: Johannes Siemens