Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative

Sometimes peacebuilding starts with something as simple as listening 👂

Since 2016, the Domestic Harmonizer Program (DHP) has been on a mission to transform how schools approach conflict, turning challenges into opportunities for growth, understanding, and resolution. By partnering with schools, the program equips students, teachers, and parents with essential tools to tackle obstacles with confidence, empathy, and creativity.

At the heart of the DHP lies a commitment to restorative practices, an approach that fosters open dialogue, empathy, and collaborative problem-solving. These practices address not just conflict: they repair harm and build stronger connections across the entire school community.

Our goal is to help schools shift from simply managing misbehavior to creating environments of trust, healthy relationships, and inner growth.

Through our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) model, the DHP provides a comprehensive, community-wide approach to peace education. This ensures that every member of the school ecosystem: students, educators, and parents, have access to resources to navigate conflict effectively.

To learn more about the DHP, visit the Domestic Harmonizer Virtual Center: www.domesticharmonizer.org

What starts as an idea can become an opportunity for an entire community.

Through a partnership between WPDI South Sudan and Gemini Africa, 55 entrepreneurs from across the Equatorias region participated in intensive business training, mentorship, and pitching competitions designed to strengthen their businesses and build practical skills in entrepreneurship, financial management, and leadership.

Following a competitive selection process, 18 entrepreneurs received seed funding and access to WPDI's business incubation support, helping grow businesses across sectors including agriculture, healthcare, retail, and technology.

These enterprises are creating jobs, expanding access to essential goods and services, and contributing to stronger local economies and more resilient communities across South Sudan.

Since 2018, WPDI and Gemini Africa have worked together to expand economic opportunities for young people, helping turn innovative ideas into sustainable livelihoods.

Read more:

WPDI’s Entrepreneurship Training Helps Young South Sudanese Turn Ideas Into Action - WPDI June 4, 2026 – In May, WPDI South Sudan and Gemini Africa helped entrepreneurs across South Sudan take an important step toward creating or strengthening their businesses across the southernmost region of South Sudan, the Equatorias. Through the intensive training, mentorship, and business develop...

30 senior women community leaders from Eerste River recently participated in a leadership training facilitated by WPDI South Africa, focused on strengthening peacebuilding and conflict resolution skills within their communities.

Already serving as active leaders and changemakers, the participants engaged deeply with topics including inner peace, conflict analysis, cycles of escalation, and practical approaches to managing conflict constructively. The training created a safe and empowering space for reflection, healing, and shared learning.

Many participants reflected on how meaningful it was to strengthen not only their leadership skills, but also their personal sense of peace and resilience.

One participant shared that the training “opened my thinking and gave me tools for managing conflict better.” By equipping women leaders with practical peacebuilding tools, trainings like these help strengthen families, neighborhoods, and communities from within.