Strengthening the ecosystem around the child

Several interconnected interventions helped strengthen social cohesion and build local capacities for peacebuilding.

Strengthening peer cohesion

Student clubs created informal learning and support networks where children could build trust with peers, strengthen confidence, and develop a sense of belonging. These spaces became particularly important for vulnerable learners who often experienced isolation or stigma.

Peer-to-peer cohesion matters because children frequently identify vulnerabilities among classmates before adults do. Student clubs helped normalize mutual support and strengthened protective social connections within schools.

Safe learning environments and gender-responsive pedagogy

Creating physically and emotionally safe learning environments was essential for retention, particularly for girls. Gender-responsive pedagogy helped teachers adopt more equitable and inclusive classroom practices while reducing school-related gender-based violence. Parents became more confident sending children, especially girls, to school when learning environments were perceived as safer and more supportive.

This work reinforced an important principle. Children cannot thrive academically where they do not feel safe emotionally.

Savings groups: Building trust through shared purpose

Savings groups, initially established as economic mechanisms, evolved into trusted community spaces where relationships and mutual accountability could grow. Communities bonded around common goals, strengthened social networks, and increased their collective capacity to support vulnerable children. Economic resilience and social cohesion often reinforce one another: when families feel more supported economically and socially, they are better able to prioritize education.

Child protection committees: Collective responsibility in action

Child protection committees strengthened local ownership around child well-being and reinforced the idea that protecting children is a shared community responsibility. Communities became active participants in identifying and responding to enrollment and retention vulnerabilities. This shift toward collective responsibility for education is itself a key peacebuilding outcome.

The role of Stay in School Committees

One of the most transformative components of the project was the Stay in School Committees (SISCs). These community-based structures became the cornerstone of efforts to identify and support children at risk of dropping out.

Using data from an adapted Early Warning System and Student Risk Matrix, SISCs monitored attendance, behavior, and academic performance to identify vulnerabilities early. Committee members conducted home visits, provided counseling, engaged caregivers, and mobilized community support before exclusion became permanent.

In addition to supporting children’s participation in education, SISCs strengthened the core elements of positive peace: trust, equity, information sharing, inclusion, and community relationships. Through their leadership and social capital, SISCs helped create a stronger sense of connection between schools and communities. Their commitment extended beyond project targets: they supported the re-enrollment of an additional 1,780 out-of-school children who were not originally included in the program. This demonstrated a shared belief that every child belongs in education and deserves the opportunity to learn. This is social cohesion in practice.

The Risk Matrix: Making vulnerability visible

The Student Risk Matrix became one of the most powerful tools. It functioned as an Early Warning System that identified children according to varying levels of risk based on attendance, behavior, academic performance, and social vulnerabilities. Crucially, it shifted the narrative away from blaming children for disengagement and toward mobilizing collective support around them.

By making vulnerabilities visible early, communities could respond proactively rather than reactively. Teachers, parents, and community structures gained a shared language and framework for intervention. The tool helped move children from hidden vulnerability toward visible support systems. Beyond supporting retention, the tool served as a practical mechanism for social cohesion by reinforcing connection, empathy, accountability, and shared responsibility for children’s education.

Final reflection: Education as quiet peacebuilding

In divided societies, peacebuilding is often imagined through large-scale reconciliation processes or formal conflict resolution initiatives. These have their place, but some of the most important peacebuilding happens quietly.

It happens when a teacher notices a child withdrawing from school.
It happens when a mother feels safe enough to engage with educators.
It happens when communities organize themselves to bring children back to school.
It happens when vulnerability triggers collective action instead of silence.

Our experience in Zambia demonstrated that holistic, data-driven education approaches can strengthen local capacities for peace precisely by rebuilding trust and shared responsibility around children.

When schools, families, communities, and institutions act together before children are pushed out, they are doing much more than improving retention and inclusion. They are helping to ensure that every child can realize their right to education, while strengthening the social cohesion and shared responsibility that contribute to lasting peace.