Post conflict

Conflicts around the world continue to have a dehumanising and devastating impact on young people and their communities.

Ethnic, religious and political identities have been used to both generate and prolong conflict, tearing communities apart. Many countries that Y Care International works in, such as Liberia, Colombia and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, have been left with collapsed education and health services, high rates of unemployment, broken communities and traumatised, injured and disabled civilians.

Young people are disproportionately affected by conflict and are often victims of exploitative recruitment as child soldiers and young combatants.

Y Care International works with local YMCAs in war-torn countries to rebuild damaged social services such as health centres and schools, support the educational needs of young people, provide vocational training and employment, counsel victims of violence and train young people as community peace mediators and leaders.

In order to overcome a culture of violence that operates at all levels of society, YMCAs work in countries emerging from civil war or those affected by high levels of violent crime and delinquency, to promote conflict resolution at the individual, family and community level. In doing so, their success is underpinned by the need to rebuild trust, hope and confidence between people, civil society organisations and government.

Click on the links below to find out more about our work with young people affected by conflict:

• Supporting former child soldiers in Colombia
• Rebuilding the lives of young people affected by war in Casamance, Senegal