Working closely with International Alert and local NGOs, we bring communities together to prioritize development projects and decide how to allocate block grants. Elected community development committees receive training and assistance and manage the awarded grants themselves. The grant program supports 52 community-designed infrastructure projects including primary schools, bridges, water drains, health centers, and markets.

The project increases use of health facilities, increases school enrollment, and improves infrastructure— benefitting more than 278,000 people.

We also provide grants and assistance to local organizations working to support community reconciliation, mediation, conflict prevention, returnee and refugee processes, and good governance. MSI helps develop local structures to promote peace, such as monthly inter-community coordination dialogues and peace committees. We also help to modernize existing mechanisms. For example, women and marginalized groups have been included in traditional councils.

Two external evaluations have shown that the project increases social cohesion, citizen participation, and the integration of marginalized groups.