Irenees.net is a documentary website whose purpose is to promote an exchange of knowledge and know-how at the service of the construction of an Art of peace.
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Modus Operandi
Dividers and Connectors
This tool is part of an evaluation methodology called "Do Not Harm", currently promoted by CDA [1] - Collaborative Learning Projects (2009). The method has been widely developed and applied in many countries around the world. Do No Harm (DNH) began as a learning project among a group of NGOs that constantly reflected on how to improve the impact of work in the context of conflict. This is a concise adaptation of the approach that focuses on Connectors and Dividers, one of the key issues of the tool, which can also serve as an introduction into the DNH methodology.
The origin of the methodology was a “learning project” reflecting on peace practice, hosted by CDA and developed with participation of different NGOs working on peacebuilding. The initiative resulted in some interesting conclusions about the importance of “connectors and dividers” in the community, in relation to development and humanitarian work. After this project, CDA developed a tool to analyze systematically which factors connect and divide people, to make sure that external intervention does not exacerbate conflict and instead builds the connections between people.
The tool has been created by peacebuilding and nonviolence experts. It was developed by people who understood that peace goes beyond the "absence of war". During the initial reflection, the process included people with extensive experience in peacebuilding in a variety of territories. Some traditional ideas of NGOs involved with peacebuilding were questioned, such as the idea that conflict is a bad thing.
[1] Collaborative Development Action