Peace-building: A Caritas Training Manual

Credits: Caritas

Against a backdrop of genocide in Rwanda and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, Caritas made peace-building a priority.

Caritas produced the Working for Reconciliation handbook to help its membership to integrate reconciliation into relief and development work. The manual was written with a global perspective and addressed many different themes including: types of conflict, conflict resolution, spirituality, planning a reconciliation programme, activities for Caritas members, justice and law, culture, interfaith concerns and human rights.

Based on sound theological premises, practical examples and case studies of reconciliation, with a list of organizations working on peace, it has been an invaluable resource and available for download here.

Building on what became known as the Yellow Book because of its distinctive cover, came Peace-building: A Caritas Training Manual or known more affectionately as the Green Book.

The Green Book aimed to provide trainers in peace-building with a broad range of ideas, resources and materials to enhance and develop their skills. Designed equally for expert trainer and novice, the Green Book has become a bible for peace builders both within and outside the Caritas network. It has been translated into English, French, Spanish, Arabic and various local languages.

To date, 14 regional training sessions have been organized in various regions of Caritas Internationalis. Hundreds of Caritas workers, justice and peace commission members, church and civil society leaders were given a week’s training on the content of the Green Book. Most of the people trained have become trainers within their organizations and communities.

In North America, the Catholic Relief Service (CRS), Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Campaign for Human Development - now meet frequently and reflect on collaboration possibilities in the field of peace-building in the context of the church in the United States. Training sessions took place throughout 2005 for various Catholic charities.

CRS set up a peace-building commission to run training sessions for bishops, promotion of peace centres, inter-religious peace-building initiatives, integration of peace-building within development efforts and trauma healing. 

Read a case study from the Green Book from North America and one from Papua New Guinea and one from Kenya.

Download Peace-building: A Caritas Training Manual.