In Timbuktu and Gao, young people are reading short stories teaching morals of tolerance, justice and freedom.
Education-based projects are crucial to enhance youth’s resilience to violent extremism,
Zineb Benalla, director of the Transnational Initiative Countering Violent Extremism, told Devex in this video interview.
Benalla heads up the independent think tank — established in April 2015 in Casablanca, Morocco, to counter violent extremism and build peace — and spearheaded the effort to introduce education-based projects for youth resilience to violent extremism in Timbuktu, a city in the West African nation of Mali as well as Gao, located on the River Niger.
The Transnational Initiative Countering Violent Extremism embraces a participatory approach that involves community leaders, elders, women and youth, Benalla explained, adding that countering violent extremism initiatives can emanate from education, local and cross-border research, capacity building and people-to-people interaction.
Watch the video to find out how the behavior of project participants changed after five days, as well as why education efforts must be tailored to each specific village.
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About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers has worked as an Associate Editor and Southeast Asia Correspondent for Devex, with a particular focus on gender. Prior to that, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has reported from more than 20 countries.