31 community centers active
31 community centers active
Rebuilding Hope Together
Rebuilding Hope Together
Local partnerships helped restore safe spaces for children and families.
Local partnerships helped restore safe spaces for children and families.
Voices Returned Here
Voices Returned Here
There is a particular kind of fracture that quietly settles over a community torn apart by conflict. Not visible. Not loud. Just brokenness — of trust, of connection, of the small threads that hold families together. For nearly four years, that fracture held over this part of the Central African Republic.
There is a particular kind of fracture that quietly settles over a community torn apart by conflict. Not visible. Not loud. Just brokenness — of trust, of connection, of the small threads that hold families together. For nearly four years, that fracture held over this part of the Central African Republic.
When violence erupted in 2021, more than 2,500 families were forced from their homes. Neighbors turned against neighbors. Communities that had lived together for generations were suddenly divided. The market that had once been the heart of the town stood empty. The church where families had gathered for generations was reduced to rubble. For the people who remained, this meant more than physical destruction. It meant the loss of trust itself. Many had lost family members, friends, and everything they had built. The town had become a place of suspicion, not of community.
When violence erupted in 2021, more than 2,500 families were forced from their homes. Neighbors turned against neighbors. Communities that had lived together for generations were suddenly divided. The market that had once been the heart of the town stood empty. The church where families had gathered for generations was reduced to rubble. For the people who remained, this meant more than physical destruction. It meant the loss of trust itself. Many had lost family members, friends, and everything they had built. The town had become a place of suspicion, not of community.
"I remember walking through the market and seeing nothing but empty stalls," said one community leader, whose family had lived in the town for five generations. "Nobody talked to each other anymore. It felt like we had forgotten to be neighbors."
"I remember walking through the market and seeing nothing but empty stalls," said one community leader, whose family had lived in the town for five generations. "Nobody talked to each other anymore. It felt like we had forgotten to be neighbors."
When Karuna field team arrived in the region in early 2023, the priority was not immediately rebuilding infrastructure — though that was needed. It was rebuilding trust. Families who had been betrayed, displaced, and abandoned by broken promises in the past were understandably hesitant. The first weeks were spent simply walking through the community — understanding what the people believed they needed to heal, rather than arriving with predetermined solutions.
When Karuna field team arrived in the region in early 2023, the priority was not immediately rebuilding infrastructure — though that was needed. It was rebuilding trust. Families who had been betrayed, displaced, and abandoned by broken promises in the past were understandably hesitant. The first weeks were spent simply walking through the community — understanding what the people believed they needed to heal, rather than arriving with predetermined solutions.
The first 500 books arrive — stacked beside the schoolhouse before distribution began.
The first 500 books arrive — stacked beside the schoolhouse before distribution began.
Listening Before Building
Listening Before Building
When trust breaks, community rises
When trust breaks, community rises
That listening shaped everything that followed. Rather than rebuilding the market or the church first, the community proposed something simpler and more powerful: a community gathering space where people could come together, share meals, and relearn how to be neighbors. It would not erase the pain of the past. But it would create space for healing to begin. It’s provided materials to build a simple community center, a small stipend to support community-led activities, and — critically — more than 300 seeds and tools to help families grow shared gardens and rebuild their connection to the land. For a community that had been divided by violence for years, this was not a minor addition. It was, for many families, the first time they had worked side by side with their former neighbors. The first gathering, only a few people showed up. Trust takes time to rebuild. By the end of the second week, the center was filled with cooking, conversation, and children playing together.
That listening shaped everything that followed. Rather than rebuilding the market or the church first, the community proposed something simpler and more powerful: a community gathering space where people could come together, share meals, and relearn how to be neighbors. It would not erase the pain of the past. But it would create space for healing to begin. It’s provided materials to build a simple community center, a small stipend to support community-led activities, and — critically — more than 300 seeds and tools to help families grow shared gardens and rebuild their connection to the land. For a community that had been divided by violence for years, this was not a minor addition. It was, for many families, the first time they had worked side by side with their former neighbors. The first gathering, only a few people showed up. Trust takes time to rebuild. By the end of the second week, the center was filled with cooking, conversation, and children playing together.
Children gather for a reading session in the temporary classroom, three months after reopening.
Children gather for a reading session in the temporary classroom, three months after reopening.
HEALING & REBUILDING
HEALING & REBUILDING
Restoring Community Together
Restoring Community Together
One of the community elders, Marcel, had witnessed the violence that tore his community apart. He described the first weeks of the gathering space as "relearning how to share a meal and a story in the same hour." Several families needed time before they could sit next to each other again. Others arrived early every day, unwilling to miss the one place where they could feel like a community again. By the fourth month, the community center had become the heartbeat of the town — a place where families shared meals, children played safely, and neighbors rebuilt the bonds that had been broken. The community, with Kitshed's continued support, began discussing how to rebuild the market and the church next.
One of the community elders, Marcel, had witnessed the violence that tore his community apart. He described the first weeks of the gathering space as "relearning how to share a meal and a story in the same hour." Several families needed time before they could sit next to each other again. Others arrived early every day, unwilling to miss the one place where they could feel like a community again. By the fourth month, the community center had become the heartbeat of the town — a place where families shared meals, children played safely, and neighbors rebuilt the bonds that had been broken. The community, with Kitshed's continued support, began discussing how to rebuild the market and the church next.
Outcome
Outcome
What changed, in the months that followed.
What changed, in the months that followed.
10M
Children supported
10M
Children supported
100+
Schools Assisted
100+
Schools Assisted
90+
Community Established
90+
Community Established
I remember walking through the market and seeing nothing but empty stalls. Now our community gathers together every evening, and I don't have to wonder if we will ever be neighbors again.
I remember walking through the market and seeing nothing but empty stalls. Now our community gathers together every evening, and I don't have to wonder if we will ever be neighbors again.
