Nelson Mandela Foundation’s social cohesion booklet
March 25, 2011 – Following a successful pilot project by the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s dialogue division, it is proud to announce that case studies written by its head facilitators are now available on the website for download.
Social cohesion dialogues were started by the Foundation after a wave of xenophobic violence broke out in townships in major provinces in South Africa. Trained facilitators were sent out to five communities where they conducted community conversations to get to the root causes of the attacks.
The community conversations initiative was started by the Nelson Mandela Foundation in 2007 as a way to encourage dialogue in communities.
At first they focused on creating dialogue around HIV/AIDS, but as the conversations grew stronger, the Foundation decided to use this method to find solutions for the xenophobic violence that broke out in 2008.
Over a period of two years, facilitators observed communities and walked with them through a process of coming face-to-face with their fears, reconciliation and healing.
Compiled by head facilitators Bea Abrahams and Ken Mutuma, the case studies reveal the day to day struggles of foreigners in South Africa and look at how to heal communities.
To download these case studies click on the links below: