Development for Peace Education- DPE, in partnership with Denmark Lesotho Network – DLN, held and facilitated a four-day orientation workshop for DPE staff on the 15th – 19th February 2026 at Caritas, Maseru.
The focus was mainly on community animation skills, which involved DPE Methodology, encompassing critical thinking, group psychotherapy skills, and Social analysis. The workshop specifically equipped the participants as Peace Education Researchers and Community Animators with the necessary skills for effective service at community libraries. The workshop explored the circle of praxis, equipping the staff with essential skills for effective community engagement through animation.
The Community Animators came from community libraries: Polihali, Hloahloeng, Kuebunyane, Khoelenya, Lekokoaneng,’Mamaebana, Lebakeng, and Seforong. The first session was facilitated by the Coordinator, who engaged participants through the Reflection Action Reflection (RAR) process. This skill covered all five stages, starting with description, analysis, planning, theological reflections, and the implementation stage. This method was not limited to imparting knowledge, but also applied to the CA’s reflections on their day-to-day challenges in every area.
The DPE Methodology was described as the facilitation process that encourages, empowers, and mobilizes members to reflect on, define, and act upon their shared identity, needs, and goals within the DPE areas. This simply means that as a community animator, the community where we live should be introduced to regularly reflect on every action taken within the community library. They learned about how the method is used for conflict resolution and how it facilitates active participation, peace building, and sustainable development.
The second session focused on the DLN-DPE Digital Rural Participation for Democracy, Development, and Peace project, which is set to be implemented from January 2026 to December 2028. This project aims to promote digital skills among library users and the wider community, introducing them to the world of technology, and thereby fostering growth in DPE areas and other communities.
The workshop was concluded by the one-on-one session between Peace Education Researchers and Community Animators, where each PER was presented with the challenges faced by CAs in each area and came up with solutions. Last session was on digital recorders that were given to CAs to be used in community libraries for recordings during meetings.
