2012: A year in numbers

During the London Olympics, young people from our Truce 20/20 project in the East End advised the police on handling young people in the Olympic borough of Newham, trained young people in avoiding confrontations, and spoke at the official UNA event in Westminster as the Olympic torch passed by. Truce provides year-round training for local youth in handling conflict in their streets. Find out more about Truce 20/20

The new Grow Peace Fund takes small peace organisations and helps them to grow. The Fund also provides advice and support to help them meet the challenges of growth. The first three organisations in the Fund are working with young people in Burundi and Kashmir, and creating informal courts to resolve disputes in eastern D R Congo. Find out more about the Grow Peace Fund

Our latest conference for peacebuilders was hosted with the British Council in Pakistan, and allowed local peacebuilders from all over the country to meet with each other, donors and policy-makers, to share insights and build networks. Previous Peace Exchanges have been held in Nairobi, Kampala, London and Goma. Read the full story

Grants, payments and expenses were made in Sri Lankan rupees, Ethiopian birrs, Guatemalan quetzals, Colombian pesos, Thai bahts, South Sudanese pounds and Ugandan shillings, among many others. Our network of international activities covers 11 peacebuilding partners, 17 local researchers in conflict-affected countries, and 3 affiliate offices in the UK, USA and Germany. Find out moew about

Local First is a new campaign for development to be led by local people, and it launched in a packed Committee Room at Westminster. Launches were also organised for Switzerland (in 2012) and the USA (in 2013), and a book of detailed case studies was published to show the success of local people in building their own development programmes. Go to Local First

As elections loom in volatile Zimbabwe, our partners Envision have trained traditional leaders in the villages to manage and resist conflict. These include include chiefs, headmen, traditional healers and local councillors. Envision are also educating young people not to become involved in violent gangs. Find out more about Envision

In war-torn eastern Congo, disarming combatants and settling them back into village life is crucial for creating peace. To help them stay there, our partner CRC runs a micro-finance scheme aimed at their wives. This provides a loan for the women to start a business – trading in cassava or fish, for example. The combatants have a stake in the community and a peaceful option in life, their families have a viable income – and the women are empowered. 1,235 people are now benefitting from this scheme. Find out more about CRC

In the turbulent north-west, our partner Aware Girls set up a hotline for victims of gender-based violence, offering counselling and referral to doctors, shelters and lawyers. They also trained 20 women as trauma healing counsellors. Find out more about Aware Girls

Our amazing supporters and donors gave generously last year, making our work possible. For everybody who has donated, volunteered, fundraised or told a friend about Peace Direct – your support has made a genuine contribution to a more peaceful world. Thank you. Get involved

In post-war Sri Lanka the urgent need is to unite communities turned against each by decades of civil war. Our partner CPBR organises community projects which involve people from right across the ethnic and religious divides. They also bring together Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim religious leaders, to find common ground and take a message of reconciliation back to their communities. Find out more about CPBR

We provided training for the Active Citizens programme which will eventually teach 30,000 young people new skills in leadership, tolerance and conflict resolution. Over two thirds of Pakistanis are aged under 30, so this is a key group for forging a more peaceful future. Active Citizens is run by the British Council. Read the full story

A vicious bush war in the forests of eastern Congo has left many villages isolated and vulnerable. Our partner CRC unites them in a web of information and co-operation through a network of 209 radio clubs. Interactive broadcasts allow villagers to discuss issues of security and development, to help each other, and to share warnings of danger. Find out more about CRC

War-torn eastern Congo is one of the most fragile places on earth, and disputes over land can easily spark further violence. But legal solutions for disputes are hard to find, when law courts are too slow and expensive for ordinary people. Local peacebuilder Flory Kasingufu has set up informal courts based on traditional ways, which in 2012 handled 286 cases in an area inhabited by some 50,000 people. Find out more about Flory’s work

Insight on Conflict is the leading website for local peacebuilding. It profiles 690 local peacebuilders, offers a free monthly digest of new developments, and publishes a blog written by distinguished commentators and practitioners in this field. It is used by researchers, policy-makers, academics and media to find the best and latest in local peacebuilding worldwide. Go to Insight on Conflict

Bestselling novelist John le Carre presented a charity appeal for us on BBC Radio 4. He told the story of Magana, a mother in DR Congo whose village is surrounded by rebel soldiers. Listeners donated £15,421 to support a new network of peacebuilders in DR Congo Listen to the appeal