Solutions for Peace and Recovery Work Plan Year 5

The project's goals and objectives remain relevant and will continue to make a significant contribution to USAID/DRC's Transition Objective 3 (TO3): Foundation for durable peace strengthened in eastern DRC. Over the last four years, SPR has supported TO3 by reinforcing local civil society actors' capacity and establishing community-based peace structures. Implementation of Year 4 activities was delayed by a halt in field-based activities, a reduction in targets, and an increase in virtual activities. Many SPR activities in Year 4 involved group gatherings in single, sometimes small spaces, which were disallowed following news of the pandemic. Consequently, activities such as community participatory conflict analysis, community dialogues, participatory action research, support and empowerment of women's leadership and mentorship clubs, and elaboration of community development plans were all suspended. The Year 5 work plan considers the withdrawal of Year 4 activities and proposes new processes and targets to continue implementation. In Year 5, SPR will further build local capacities for sustainability beyond the project's life by strengthening established local peace structures and women's grassroots networks for advocacy and lobbying for their continued engagement and intervention in promoting social cohesion, peace, and security. SPR will also aim to finalize conflict assessment research pieces undertaken and publish them for wider dissemination. Implementation will be accelerated in Quarters 1 and 2 to achieve at least 70-80 percent of the targets. The project will continue to implement in its 13 target groupements across North and South Kivu, including Kadutu commune in Bukavu City and Kahuzi Biéga National Park (KBNP). SPR will continue to work with local partners and maximize project impact to promote sustainability in its final year. Continuing implementation with partners will further build the relationships of trust, sustainability, mutual respect, and credibility established over the last four years. The project will strengthen its operational foundation through internal planning and field coordination, maximizing grant delivery, staff development and team building, continued effective integration of conflict sensitivity into programming, and timely and efficient project closeout. Once COVID-19-related restrictions ease, SPR will organize quarterly planning and review meetings bringing together all staff, alternating between Bukavu and Goma offices to ensure organized and efficient implementation. The SPR project will also focus on objective 1, community stakeholders identifying conflict drivers and agreeing on solutions, objective 2, participatory solutions implemented, and objective 3, resources for community development more inclusively allocated. Advocacy will be a cross-cutting theme throughout the project, with a focus on promoting social cohesion, peace, and security. The project will also aim to finalize conflict assessment research pieces undertaken and publish them for wider dissemination. The geographic targeting of the project will continue to focus on the same geographic locations from the past four years of implementation, with a focus on the 13 target groupements across North and South Kivu. The project will also continue to work with local partners and maximize project impact to promote sustainability in its final year.