Program Brief
With funding support from the Global Initiative Against Impunity and co-funding from the European Union, Explore Aid implemented a community engagement program across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States to strengthen support for the reintegration of returnee women and girl survivors of sexual and gender based violence, including children born of war.
The program used structured community dialogues to address stigma, foster acceptance, and build local ownership of reintegration processes. Dialogues brought together returnees, community leaders, religious figures, youth, and women's groups to discuss shared challenges and develop actionable solutions. Topics included psychosocial support, economic empowerment, and protection from re-victimization.
Key outcomes include: formation of community support committees in 20 locations; training of 80 dialogue facilitators; development of locally tailored reintegration plans; and a measurable reduction in community hostility toward returnees. The approach has been documented as a best practice for post-conflict reintegration in the Lake Chad region.