SONAD - Sudanese Organization for Non-Violence and Development .

A peace flag in SONADs Resource Centre

Goals and values

“SONAD works with marginalised people to promote nonviolence and human rights through training and advocacy”, reads the mission statement of SONAD. In fact, SONAD is the only NGO in Sudan, which focuses on nonviolence as an approach to peace and development in both North and South of the war- and conflict-torn country.

Organisational Structure & Programmes

Being founded in 1994 and registered in 2004 in Khartoum and 2006 in Juba, it has a history of civil society engagement into issues of concern for the marginalised, particularly in the context of IDPs. Today, SONAD offers a range of workshops, and Trainings of Trainers, as part of its nonviolence programme, civic education, gender and women empowerment programme. The target groups are mainly CBOs, community and religious leaders, students and women. The beneficiaries are then supported to hold outreach workshops to further reach the wider community in their own context.

SONAD has four staff in Khartoum plus a DED Peace and Conflict Advisor, and one based in Juba, Southern Sudan. Numerous volunteers are engaged during the implementation of various activities. The organisation works together with over fifty national and CBOs as well as networks including AVP Forum (Alternatives to Violence Project Forum, Sudan), Nonviolence Forum Sudan (NVFS), and other partners that have similar aims and objectives.

Internationally, SONAD is a member of Coalition for Peace in Africa (COPA), based in Nairobi, and is a member of the IFOR (International Fellowship of Reconciliation), and WRI (War Resisters International).

Future challenges

Current projects of SONAD include the development of a Resource Centre on Nonviolence and Conflict Transformation, the development of culturally adapted manuals for nonviolence, conflict transformation, and civic education workshops, and a project for Electoral Violence Prevention, addressing the upcoming elections in 2009. Also, SONAD is currently beginning to work with CBOs in Darfur.

Cooperation with DED .

SONAD volunteers and DED staff on International Volunteers Day at Gaborona IDP site

The cooperation between SONAD and DED started already in 2004. The fact that SONAD works in the IDP context in both North and South of the country, makes it naturally a partner in DED’s Civil Peace Service programme, which focuses on the peaceful reintegration of IDPs. Currently, there works a DED Peace and Conflict Advisor with SONAD in Khartoum. DED also funds two Local Peace Experts, SONADs Nonviolence Project Officer in Khartoum and the Programme Officer for SONAD South in Juba. DED is temporarily hosting SONAD South Sudan within its premises until SONAD has its own office.