Peace

Helpcode promotes the right of all children to grow up in safe and inclusive environments. In our vision, peace education is a key element in preventing violence, strengthening dialogue, and building fairer communities—both in post-conflict settings and in everyday life.

For Helpcode, educating for peace means providing children, educators, families, and communities with the tools to manage daily conflicts non-violently, rebuild social cohesion after crises such as wars or natural disasters, and create more inclusive and equitable societies.

Our path began in 2017 in Gorongosa, Mozambique, in collaboration with the Montesole Peace School. This was a response to the need to rebuild the social and economic fabric following the conflict that formally ended in 2019. We achieved this through a pedagogical approach based on dialogue, participation, and the concrete experiences of teachers, students, and community members. Since then, we have expanded our scope, bringing this methodology to contexts not affected by armed conflict, such as Switzerland. There, we work within schools and after-school services to prevent discrimination, strengthen positive relationships, and develop empathy, listening skills, and shared responsibility.

We believe that peace is not merely the absence of war, but the ability of individuals and communities to manage conflicts constructively, recognize differences as a resource, and participate actively in collective life. Educating for peace means promoting relationships based on listening, shared responsibility, and respect for human dignity.

Even in areas affected by armed conflict, we intervene by first protecting the right to education and creating safe spaces where children can regain trust, receive care, and find hope for the future.

Concretely, we promote peace education through:

Experiential workshops in schools.
Training for educators and teachers.
Artistic and dialogic activities that strengthen cooperation.
Non-violent conflict resolution techniques.

We work together with communities to create safe and inclusive environments where children can express themselves freely, feel like an active part of collective life, and be recognized as such.

Peace education is a strategic, cross-cutting pillar for Helpcode, guiding our actions in the sectors of education, protection, youth empowerment, and community development, both in Italy and worldwide.

Why We Focus on Peace Education

To prevent violence before it happens in schools and communities where discrimination, exclusion, and daily conflicts arise.

To strengthen the social fabric and relationships between people, both as a foundation for sustainable and lasting recovery after a conflict, and as a best practice for building non-violent daily habits.

Because peace is a skill that is built together, without excluding anyone.

To protect the right to education and the dignity of children, because in fragile and crisis contexts, peace is a necessary condition for rebuilding the future, schools, and communities.

To train active and responsible citizens: educating for peace means promoting participation, a sense of belonging, co-responsibility, and positive leadership.

Because educating for peace is an investment in the future: imagining and acting on alternatives to violence helps build more just, resilient, and solidary societies.

We promote peace education

We help children, teachers, and communities manage conflicts in a non-violent way, strengthening dialogue, listening, and inclusion. We promote peace education programs to build safe and cohesive environments, where every child can grow and participate actively.