YOU-ACT Project Drives Grassroots Peacebuilding and Development in Jowhar through Community Engagement Workshop
Jowhar, Somalia – June 24-25, 2025 – Building on its commitment to fostering peace, resilience, and local development, Shaqodoon.org recently concluded a highly successful Community-Based Organizations (CBO) Engagement Workshop in Jowhar. This two-day intensive workshop, a key component of the ongoing YOU-ACT project, brought together influential CBO heads and local leaders to amplify community voices and empower grassroots initiatives.
The workshop served as a crucial follow-up to previous community dialogue sessions held with residents of Kulmis, Horseed, Hanti-wadaag, and Buulo-Sheikh villages. These prior engagements, which also included activities like community icebreaker sessions organized by Shaqodoon to strengthen bonds among diverse groups through art and craft for young women and football for young men, laid the groundwork by fostering a welcoming environment and establishing inter-clan youth groups aimed at collaborative community engagement and peace promotion. The CBO Engagement Workshop now deepened these efforts by empowering local leadership directly.
Empowering Local Leaders for Sustainable Change
Participants at the CBO Engagement Workshop actively engaged in a collaborative process focused on addressing the most pressing challenges facing their respective villages. Through focused discussions, they:
Identified the most pressing issues facing each village, ensuring that solutions are rooted in community realities.
Collaborated to brainstorm practical community-led projects, moving from problem identification to actionable solutions.
Developed action-oriented approaches to effectively address key risks and challenges, fostering self-reliance and local ownership.
This deep engagement marks a vital step in empowering grassroots organizations to take the lead in critical areas such as peacebuilding, resilience-building, and fostering sustainable local development. By equipping these local leaders with tools for collaborative problem-solving and project development, the YOU-ACT project is strengthening the fabric of community governance and promoting inclusive participation.
A Collaborative Vision for Jowhar's Future
The success of this workshop underscores the power of partnership in driving meaningful change. The YOU-ACT project is a collaborative effort, and Shaqodoon extends its gratitude to key partners whose support makes these initiatives possible:
IOM Somalia
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Wasaaradda Dhallinyarada iyo Isboortiga Hirshabeelle (Hirshabelle Ministry of Youth and Sports)
This workshop is a testament to the belief that true development and lasting peace emerge when communities are empowered to shape their own future. Through initiatives like the CBO Engagement Workshop and the broader YOU-ACT project, Shaqodoon, its partners, and the vibrant communities of Jowhar are together building a more peaceful, resilient, and prosperous future.