ECLF, in the next five years, is guided by its strategic vision anchored on three thematic areas:
1. Social Transformation and Human Security through Peace Education
Peace education is the process of acquiring values and knowledge as well as developing attitudes skills and behaviors to live in harmony with oneself, others and with the natural environment. Under this focus area, ECLF endeavors to cultivate the knowledge base, skills, develop positive attitudes and values that change people’s mindsets and influence their behavior towards social transformation. This endeavor is closely tied to the concept of human security which suggests that public policy must be directed, above all, at enhancing the personal security, welfare and dignity of individuals and communities.
It is in this area of focus that ECLF continues to strengthen local level peacebuilding activities which aims at addressing local needs and conditions. This approach has resulted in community buy-in and ownership of the peacebuilding initiatives and support of the peace building processes. This has promoted peaceful coexistence and social transformation.
2. Ecosystems of Conflict Resolution and Transformation
Under this thematic focus ECLF seeks to foster capacity enhancement for various local and national stakeholders to effectively engage in dialogue and mediation as a means toward positive management and prevention of conflict, as well as to foster true healing and reconciliation and build social cohesion. This is made possible through collaboration, networking and coordination with various stakeholders on the premise of tapping into indigenous knowledge and systems and aligning them to the national peace and reconciliation agenda.
ECLF under this theme also tries to link its work to other larger processes that seek to transform institutions, governance structures, alleviation of poverty and demilitarization among many focus areas.
3. Institutional capacity
An organization is only as effective as its human resources, structures and systems. In as much as the ECLF programming is outward looking, there are deliberate efforts in place that ensure effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the work through investing in institutional capacity.
Institutional capacity building for ECLF is beyond the provision of education and training of professionals but encompasses programs that deal with leadership, internship, awareness, and constituency building.
All these areas of focus are guided by the Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) which means the promotion of gender equality, shared control of resources and decision making as well as ensuring that the youth and women empowerment are central in all our interventions.