Exploring the role of international non-governmental organizations in rebuilding conflict-affected societies through educational project work

Abstract

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become increasingly utilized in the rebuilding of war-torn countries. This thesis is a grounded-theory qualitative study of the role of NGO educational projects in re-building civil society in Afghanistan as well as other conflict-affected nations. Six NGO project directors and field officers working on project work in Afghanistan were selected as interview participants. Analysis of the interview narratives revealed several key findings. These key findings suggest that while NGO officials recognize several root causes of conflict in their work contexts, conflict’s causes have limited impact on their project design. However, NGO officials believed educational project work had transformational potential. Further, NGO officials believed their project work to be successful in its development and peacebuilding goals, but suggested a need for increased project time frames. Finally, they believed their NGO project work to be but one track in a multi-track intervention into conflict-affected countries.