From Combatants to Peacemakers program is USAID funded program as stipulated in the USAID’s Annual Program Statement (APS) for Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation Programs and Activities in Nepal. This program is effective from October 1, 2015 to March 31, 2017, which covers 16 communities of 12 districts.

Its main objective is to promote social harmony and peace in 16 communities absorbing Maoist ex-combatants by acting on the following goals:

• Creating social dialogue groups and community mediation centers that promotes reconciliation between ex-combatants and host community members to prevent potential conflicts and mitigate conflicts arose in the project locations;

• Promote and strengthen relationships / trust between the ex-combatants and the host community members thorough organization of peace events;

• Bridging already existing gender, caste, and ethnic divides; empowering ex-combatants, host community members, representatives from Village Development Committees (VDCs) and Local Peace Community (LPCs) with social dialogue, mediation and psychosocial skills.

The main project message is that dialogue and mediation can facilitate social integration of ex-combatant, promote social harmony and support and facilitate healing and reconciliation process.

Following a people-to-people approach, the activities will bring together ex-combatants and host communities, conflict victims, Local Peace Committee members, women, community mediators, as well as marginalized groups including Dalits, Muslims, and Janajatis.

By training ex-combatants and host community members in dialogue facilitation and mediation and by supporting them in initiating and facilitating social dialogue between different social groups in their communities, this project aims to prevent/ reduce violence, promote reconciliation, and expedite the social integration of ex-combatants in the communities they are presently residing.

The dialogue facilitators will focus on building trust and understanding between the participants by encouraging the sharing of personal narratives, compassionate listening, and the creation of a common vision for the development of their community. The dialogue facilitators will also mediate conflicts in the community upon request and provide para-psychosocial counseling services to anyone in need.