At the heart of PeaceNexus’ approach is the individual support it provides to its partners, particularly in terms of organisational development and conflict sensitivity integration. To amplify its impact beyond its direct partners, the Foundation supports Hubs – alongside other key players in the ecosystem – as spaces for connection and collaboration.
This approach is also based on another pillar: companions – resource persons whose role is to support, coach, guide, transfer knowledge and strengthen the capacities of organisations. Their approach is inspired by the Gaynaako, the shepherd who watches over his flock, guides it and cares for it with fairness and discernment – a subtle balance between ‘doing it yourself’, ‘getting it done’ and ‘letting it be done’. These companions are independent or members of associations, consulting firms or peer foundation staff. They share a common vision of organisational support, context-sensitive intervention and social transformations oriented towards justice, peace and citizen participation.
Present at the Jardin des Synergies pour la Paix, an event organised in Porto-Novo, Benin, in February 2025, the companions alternated between collective spaces with Hub members and peer sessions to refine their practices, take a step back from the difficulties encountered and nurture their personal momentum – an essential element of their ability to support others.
They also validated the existence of the Cercle de Gaynaako, the community that brings them together to learn together, influence their ecosystem, value their complementarities and share sources of inspiration and professional resources. Their path, like that of the Hubs, remains to be built through online meetings, projects, collective initiatives and activities in pairs or trios.