Call for Applications: Innovation in Evaluation and Learning in Unarmed Civilian Protection and Accompaniment
Creating Safer Space is aware of the sensitivities connected with UCP/A and how traditional methods of evaluation are often top-down or output-focused, and therefore risk missing important nuances connected with civilian protection efforts. Over the past few months, a group of practitioners and scholars have discussed good practice approaches to evaluation and developed principles that should inform evaluation design.
We welcome applications for pilot projects of participatory evaluation and learning related to Unarmed Civilian Protection and Accompaniment (UCP/A). We offer two types of funding.
Type 1: We will fund up to three small projects that meet the criterial set out in the Call for Applications and are led by an organisation that is registered in a Low and Middle Income Country (LMIC) or which has a country/field office in an LMIC (CfA for eligibility details). Grants per project range from £3,000 to max. £4,500 GBP.
Type 2: We will fund one small project that meets the criteria set out in the Caff for Applications whose Lead Organisation is as US 501 (c) (3) non-profit organisation that can receive funding from a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF).
The application deadline is 12 June 2023. Please see Call for Applications and Application Form linked below for further details, and contact creating-safer-space@aber.ac.uk with any enquiries.
On Wednesday, May 10, thanks to the funding provided by the Creating Safer Space Network to the project ‘”Ritualising” Protection in Conflict’, the elders of the Nasa people of the Indigenous Territory of Huellas were able to meet in the Tulpa intermedio. During this meeting, the spiritual knowers shared their main concerns regarding the care of seeds and plants, the need to strengthen spirituality within the family and in the territory, and the importance of passing on the knowledge of traditional medicine.
In a context where the Indigenous population finds itself ever more in the midst of the violence between armed groups, threats against spiritual knowers have increased. The Tulpas, sacred sites for the Nasa people, are currently the target of some armed groups, who want to weaken the Nasa culture, for being considered places for the exercise of self-education and self-government. One of the conclusions of this meeting is the importance of strengthening the spiritual knowledge of the Nasa people as a measure of self-protection against armed groups and to ensure the Nasa’s pervivencia (survival) in their territory.
Conversa de mayores y mayoras en la Tulpa intermedio, Caloto- Cauca
El día miércoles 10 de mayo se realizó un encuentro entre mayoras y mayores del pueblo Nasa del Resguardo Indígena de Huellas, gracias a la financiación proporcionada por la Red Creando un Espacio Más Seguro para el proyecto ‘“Ritualizando” la protección en conflicto’. En esta juntanza los sabedores espirituales compartieron sus principales preocupaciones respecto al cuidado de las semillas y plantas, la necesidad de fortalecer el tema espiritual en la familia y los territorios, y la relevancia de compartir los conocimientos de la medicina tradicional.
En un contexto donde la avanzada de los grupos armados pone en medio a la población indígena, las amenazas hacia sabedores espirituales han aumentado. Las Tulpas, sitios sagrados para el pueblo Nasa, son en estos momentos objetivo de algunos grupos armados que quieren debilitar la cultura Nasa por ser considerados lugares para el ejercicio de la educación propia y el gobierno propio. Una de las conclusiones de este espacio es la importancia de fortalecer el conocimiento espiritual del pueblo Nasa como medida de autoprotección contra los grupos armados y la pervivencia en los territorios.
“La Fiesta”: A play by the Art that Protects project
El próximo 17 de mayo tendremos el estreno de la obra de teatro titulada La Fiesta, bajo la dramaturgia y direccion del maestro Oscar Zuluaga Uribe. La obra se deriva del proyecto de investigación “Arte que protege“, que explora aportes de iniciativas artístico-culturales a las estrategias de autoprotección de jóvenes y mujeres en el contexto del conflicto urbano en la ciudad de Medellín.
Lugar: Teatro Pablo Tobón Uribe , Medellin, Colombia.
Fecha: miercoles 17 de mayo / Hora: 6pm
Entrada libre – todxs bienvenidxs!
On 17 May, we will premier the play La Fiesta,written and directed by Oscar Zuluaga Uribe.
The play derives from the Creating Safer Space research project “Art That Protects”, which explores contributions of artistic-cultural initiatives to the self-protection strategies of young people and women in the context of urban conflict in the city of Medellín.
Where: Theatre Pablo Tobón Uribe, Medellín, Colombia
When: Wednesday 17 May 2023 at 6pm
Free admission – all welcome!
Research Café: Visual Policy Briefs
The aim of the Creating Safer Space Café is to enable people in different parts of the world to exchange knowledge and to help build a community of Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) researchers and practitioners.
This month, Dr Kara Blackmore (LSE), PI on the Network+ Project ‘Strategies for Safety and Solidarity: Understanding Protection through Creativity in South Sudan and Colombia’ shared her insights into designing and preparing visual policy briefs, as well as using arts-based methods to map UCP practices.
In February, the team of researchers working on the project: ‘Exploring unarmed civilian self-protection in Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict’ undertook successful data collection in Cameroon. They used Arts-based methods entailed drawing workshops, poetry workshops and storytelling workshops with local civilians affected by the conflict. Based on a prior mapping exercise, residents from conflict ‘hot spots’ were identified and transported to safe locations where the workshops were undertaken.
Although some participants were a little anxious at first about their abilities to draw or compose poems, we found that everyone relaxed into the task and produced very good accounts of their experiences by means of drawings or poems. Some participants stated afterwards that it had been beneficial to express traumatic experiences through drawing or writing poems. One-to-one interviews were also undertaken with selected community organisers, including leaders of women’s and youth groups, and NGO workers. Such fieldwork in the midst of armed conflict can be complicated, and unexpected challenges can arise, as they experienced.
As they began their fieldwork, scores of boys and young men from one small town in the Southwest region were arbitrarily rounded up and detained by the Cameroonian military, and were unjustifiably accused of being separatist supporters. This was the same small town from which many workshop participants had been invited.
This abuse of power by the military, terrible in itself, also disrupted the researchers’ plans as local people were clearly preoccupied in seeking the release of their young men. On the morning of the planned workshops, the mothers of the captured boys and young men led a women’s peace march to demand the release of their sons and family members. This involved several hundred women walking 17 km from their town to the prison where the young men were being held.
The women marched holding peace plants as a symbol of their non-violence. The outcome was really gratifying – the women’s interactions with the authorities were largely successful, and the release of most of the detained boys and young men was secured. This was, perhaps, an example of unarmed civilian protection in itself. The workshops also went ahead thanks to the amazing efforts of the Cameroonian team members who organised alternative workshop participants at short notice. The researchers’ also had the added bonus that two of the women on the peace march made a detour to attend the workshop and provided everyone with a first-hand account of their experiences.
Cynthia Ngugi
Cynthia is a seasoned program coordinator with a very strong analytical and accounting background. Specializing in education management, she’s amassed over 7 years of experience in program coordination. She’s passionate about translating programs visions and objectives into reality through personalized attention and improving efficiencies and effectiveness by innovating new ways of achieving tasks.
As data analyst enthusiast, she has used her background in economics, accounting and newly acquired skills in Python, R statistics and power BI to evaluate databases, identify trends and solve key challenging areas in the graduates’ life and this led to a 30% increase in the graduation numbers from Backlog students. Automation of the generation and classification of the university graduation list which has reduced the time spent from months to 5 min.
Currently she works as Exams Associate at the Strathmore University Business School. Academic Qualifications Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Certified Data Analyst (ILAB), Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPA(k)).
Beginning of fieldwork in Cali, Colombia
Between November and December 2022, Luisa María Colonia Zúñiga, Gustavo Suárez Ríos and Italia Agüado Urmendiz conducted field research in the Llano Verde neighbourhood, located in the east of the Colombian city of Cali.
Through focus-groups and semi-structured interviews, the researchers collected information related to perceived threats faced by women. They obtained testimonies from women victims of the armed conflict in Colombia, with the aim of turning their memories of conflict into instruments of building peace and protection. This protection comes in the form of resistance practices against police intimidation and the multiple forms of violence that the women face on a daily basis.
During this fieldwork, the team also interviewed attorneys who have collaborated with the community in developing community advocacy tools.
The researchers are currently analysing the material collected during the field visits and in the archives of the organization Masterpeace Cali, and combining the results with documentary matrix prepared in January 2023 where they collected important information related to their research. This research and analysis has since been published in the media and reports of civil society organizations.
Among the interesting insights they have identified so far is the central use of community cohesion as a mechanism for peaceful civilian self-protection of populations relocated to urban areas due to cultural diversity and the high rate of unmet basic needs. Memories of violence are a shared experience that enables peaceful group action.
Inicio del trabajo de campo en Cali, Colombia.
Durante los meses de noviembre y diciembre de 2022, Luisa María Colonia Zúñiga, Gustavo Suárez Ríos e Italia Agüado Urmendiz llevaron a cabo la investigación de campo en el barrio Llano Verde ubicado al oriente de la ciudad de Cali.
El grupo de investigadores recolectó información relevante relacionada con las amenazas que se perciben en el entorno de las mujeres que participan de la investigación, a través del ejercicio de grupos focales y entrevistas semi direccionadas. Asimismo, obtuvieron testimonios de mujeres víctimas del conflicto armado en Colombia donde se evidencia el uso de las memorias por parte de ellas para resignificar el pasado en las acciones pacíficas de protección que llevan a cabo en el presente a modo de resistencia frente a políticas de miedo y la exacerbación de múltiples violencias que se han convertido en cotidianas.
Adicionalmente, durante el trabajo de campo también entrevistamos a abogados que han colaborado con la comunidad en el desarrollo de herramientas de abogacía comunitaria.
En este momento, estamos comprometidos en el análisis del material recolectado en las visitas de campo y en los archivos de la organización Masterpeace Cali. Asimismo, estamos analizando la matriz documental elaborada en el mes de enero de 2023 donde recabamos información fundamental relacionada con la temática de la investigación, que ha sido publicada en medios de comunicación e informes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil.
Entre las perspectivas interesantes que hemos identificado hasta el momento, se tiene que se presentan limitaciones en la cohesión comunitaria como mecanismo para la autoprotección civil pacífica de poblaciones reubicadas en zonas urbanas debido a la diversidad cultural y a la alta tasa de necesidades básicas insatisfechas. Sin embargo, las memorias de las violencias son un punto de encuentro que posibilita la acción grupal pacífica.
Understanding Changing Strategy and Practice of Civilian Protection Under a Military Junta: The case of Kachin and Northern Shan, Myanmar
This research studied the changing UCP strategies and practices in Myanmar during and after the military coup of 2021. In response to the coup, armed conflict and other forms of security tensions drastically increased, which changed and intensified the forms of harm towards civilians as well as their vulnerability to harm. This project studied community strategies and adaptations in providing (self-)protection in this context. It reflected on lessons learned for UCP strategy and practice during and after the coup and under the military Junta.
The qualitative research project was conducted in Kachin and Northern Shan states of Myanmar as case studies where armed conflict escalated in the same way as in other areas of Myanmar. Additional supporting data was collected in Yangon through focus group discussions (FGDs) and nonstructured interviews. Our research contributes to both knowledge and practice. In terms of knowledge, it has enriched our understanding of the rapid changes to UCP practices and approaches that have occurred as a result of the changing and increasing threats against civilians in Kachin and Northern Shan states. In terms of practice, the research findings have influenced the activities of Nonviolent Peaceforce and its engagements with relevant stakeholders.
Arfiansyah, International Centre for Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies (ICAIOS), Indonesia
A stream from upper north of Putao township in Kachin State, 2016
RESEARCH SUMMARY
The data collection process followed standard qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, FGDs, and a comprehensive literature review. Fieldwork preparations began in June 2023, with close coordination established between partners in Kachin and Northern Shan. Two research assistants were recruited, one for each region, ensuring effective support for on-the-ground activities. Data collection spanned across Kachin, Northern Shan, and Yangon from July 2023 to June 2024, encompassing 17 in-depth interviews (12 conducted face-to-face and 5 virtually) and 4 FDGs, of which two were held in person and two conducted virtually for data validation.
Face-to-face interviews took place between July and August 2023 in Myitkyina and Waingmaw in Kachin State, as well as in Lashio and Namtu in Northern Shan State. However, as the conflict situation intensified in these areas, the remaining interviews transitioned to a virtual format, allowing the research team to continue gathering data while adapting to the evolving conditions on the ground. Participants in the study included a diverse group of internally displaced persons (IDPs), community members, and representatives from local civil society organisations (CSOs) involved in humanitarian assistance, development, community building, and civilian protection.
Semi-structured interviews, conducted in both Burmese and local languages, allowed participants to discuss their experiences openly, with questions specifically designed to explore emerging threats to civilians following the 2021 coup and the strategies used by communities and CSOs to protect civilians. Data validation efforts were thorough, including two virtual focus group discussions in January and early February 2024 to validate initial findings. A hybrid data validation meeting held in June 2024 further strengthened this process, bringing together local partners, international NGOs, and CSOs. This meeting provided an opportunity for feedback from diverse stakeholders, ensuring that the data accurately reflected local perspectives and enhancing the credibility of the findings.
Focus group in Northern Shan state
Research Findings
This study discovered that diffusing protection norms in conflict-prone countries like Myanmar is more effective from the bottom up rather than through top-down approaches. The diffusion of protection norms and practices in Kachin and Northern Shan started in 2010, when local CSOs took the initiative to participate in a potential peace talk between Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) and the Tatmadaw, reaching a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015. External actors such as Nonviolent Peaceforce introduced Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) concepts and methodologies, including an early warning system, nonpartisanship, and proactive engagement with all key stakeholders, including armed groups. These methods have allowed local actors to tailor these norms and strategies to meet specific challenges and merge them with traditional protection practices.
Proactive engagement and accompaniment are crucial for empowering locals to handle conflicts, enhancing their capacity to respond, and finding solutions alongside their communities. This approach not only spreads norms but also acts as a protection mechanism, enabling trained civilians to negotiate with armed groups to prevent violence, as evidenced by a success story from Kachin post-coup, where a villager successfully mediated between opposing forces to protect their community.
Post-coup, the integration of digital security with early warning systems has evolved into the Digital Early Warning Early Response (DEWER) system. This system has become a cornerstone of civilian protection in Kachin and Northern Shan, managed by CSOs to collect, verify, and disseminate information. It also serves as a coordination tool for delivering aid and managing economic transactions within communities. Furthermore, DEWER extends to IDP camps, where designated individuals monitor and control entry to enhance security and preparedness against threats.
The research highlights proactive engagement and DEWER as essential elements for effective norm diffusion. To adopt and develop protection norms, continuous and respectful collaboration is important to address challenges and threats and enhance civilian safety and resilience.
UCP in Southern Thailand: Developing civilian protection guidelines for violence-prone communities
The conflict between the separatist insurgent group Barisan Revolusi Nasional and the Thai state has led to ongoing violence in the three southern border provinces and four districts in Songkhla province. Between 2004 and August 2023, this conflict resulted in 7,520 deaths and 13,968 injuries. In response, the government has enforced special laws, including the Martial Law Act, the Public Administration in Emergency Situations Act, and the Internal Security Act. However, these measures have not significantly improved the situation. Instead, local communities have adapted by developing informal practices, some of which resemble aspects of unarmed civilian protection.
This project aimed to address the following questions:
How can communities in Thailand’s southern provinces develop their own unarmed civilian protection programmes?
What practical techniques of unarmed civilian protection from around the world can be adapted to guide community practices in the region?
What existing unarmed civilian protection strategies can enhance security for communities in the southern border provinces?
RESEARCH TEAM
Fareeda Panjor, Prince of Songkla University (principal investigator)
This study employed participatory action research in Thailand’s southern border provinces, engaging a total of 69 participants from three communities:
Talo-Nang-Aman Community, Bangpo Subdistrict, Mueang District, Narathiwat Province
Sakoh Community, Tha Sap Subdistrict, Mueang District, Yala Province
Piyamumang Community, Piyamumang Subdistrict, Yaring District, Pattani Province
Participants included individuals involved in community protection efforts, youth groups, women’s groups, community leaders, and religious leaders. The research process began in February 2023 with discussions on violence prevention. This was followed by practical training workshops and knowledge- sharing sessions on Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) between August and September 2023. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted from June to August 2023, and focus group discussions took place in February 2024. The project also facilitated consultations and knowledge exchanges with international experts.
Research across the three communities revealed that while overall violence has declined, local security concerns persist. Key issues include:
Ongoing violent incidents
The presence of armed security personnel
Military patrols near Tadika (Islamic schools)
Community lockdowns and house searches
Frequent security checkpoint stops
Restrictions on nighttime movement
Drug-related violence
Targeted attacks on village heads and local leaders
Most villagers reported uncertainty about detecting warning signs before violence occurs. Even Village Development and Self-Defense Volunteers (VDVs), who play a role in local security, often fail to recognize early indicators. Some villagers noted an increase in patrols before house-surrounding operations, but overall, there was a lack of structured early warning systems. Community members largely view safety as the responsibility of leaders, particularly VDVs and village heads, especially at night when security forces are frequent targets. While VDVs and community leaders receive training, some research participants suggested that villagers should also be trained in self-protection and how to report unusual activities.
For self-protection, villagers primarily share security information through LINE messaging groups. However, many remain uncertain about how to respond to potential threats. Security measures are often reactive, implemented only after an incident has already occurred. Moreover, the community lacks clear protocols for handling violent situations. Typically, authorities are informed only after an explosion or attack, leading to the subsequent arrival of police and military personnel for inspection.
For most villagers, the home is considered the safest place. If the home is not secure, people gather in larger community spaces such as mosques. However, some believe that no place is truly safe, as mosques and Tadika schools have also been subjected to security operations.
The study also examined community-based conflict resolution approaches. Village leaders, including headmen, religious figures, and sub-district chiefs, typically mediate disputes. Community justice centers serve as neutral spaces where both Buddhists and Muslims feel comfortable discussing conflicts and seeking resolution.
Based on these findings, the project has developed broad guidelines and recommendations to enhance community security in Thailand’s southern border provinces, based on unarmed civilian protection principles and strategies.
This short film explores the impact of the conflict in southern Thailand on Malay Muslims, and their struggle to express their own identity and culture.
Experience exchange meeting on self-protection with indigenous and peasant organizations of Bajo Cauca, Colombia
On 10-11 February 2023, the Antioquia Social Process of Guarantees held an experience exchange meeting with indigenous and peasant organizations of Bajo Cauca, Colombia. The meeting served to share organizational experiences and balances related to self-protection and protection in contexts of violence which have been escalating in the Bajo Cauca region for several years.
The meeting was attended by indigenous guards and ethnic authorities from the Embera and Senú ethnic groups of Cáceres and El Bagre, as well as peasant leaders from three peasant organizations – Peasant Association of Bajo Cauca (ASOCBAC), Association of Agroecological Brotherhoods of Guamocó (AHEREMIGUA), and Association of Environmental Victims of Puerto Clavel (ASOVIAMCLA) – and delegates from the Social Process of Guarantees.
A total of 20 people attended the two-day meeting and shared the self-protection strategies that they have been building for years to face the context of violence as well as the legal and illegal armed groups that are present in the territories where they live.
The attendants embarked on a reflection of lessons learnt in years of struggle for peace and defence of human and territorial rights, highlighting the efficiency and risks which have arisen from the implementation of different self-protection strategies.
The event closed with an evaluation of the implementation of the self-protection protocols of ethnic organizations and peasant communities, in order to establish the degree to which the strategies had been applied within the processes.
The project’s activities will continue in March with the “Circles of the Word”, traditional spaces for dialogue that will seek to build on the progress made at the meeting held on 10-11 February.
