Moving on from war : Empowerment of young war victims and Peacebuilding in Gulu and its neighboring districts in Uganda

Abstract: This study considers the role war victims empowerment has on peacebuilding. Even though the relation between empowerment and peacebuilding is well examined, the importance of involving war victims in the peacebuilding process has been given less attention. Through a qualitative case study on the NGO GWED-G’s interventions for young war victims in Gulu, Amuru, and Nwoya districts in Uganda, this study contributes to the discussion on the importance of empowering young war victims for improved peacebuilding efforts. The findings and analysis are based on two analytical frameworks, empowerment theory and the four dimensions of peacebuilding, as well as previous realized linkage between the two. Through these frameworks, it is clear that the empirical data collected in this study regarding the empowerment of young war victims are strongly correlated to the four dimensions of peacebuilding. When carrying out the research, it was also discovered that this linkage goes well beyond what previous research have stated. This study additionally discovered that the empowerment of young war victims has contributed to peacebuilding by impacting whole communities as well. By empowering these war victims, GWED-G has generated a ripple effect, the impact extended to families and entire communities of the empowered war victims and thereby more effectively contributed to peacebuilding.