Peace and security are essential for sustainable development, social justice, and strong communities. At Elohim Development Foundation (EDF), we believe that true peace goes beyond the absence of violence. It requires inclusive governance, social cohesion, the protection of vulnerable groups, and active involvement of communities in shaping their own futures. We are committed to building sustainable peace through collaboration, evidence-based programs, and locally led solutions that tackle the root causes of conflict.

EDF partners with government bodies, civil society groups, community leaders, women, young people, schools, and other stakeholders to strengthen peacebuilding systems and encourage peaceful coexistence. Our work focuses on conflict prevention and management, community dialogue, social unity, early warning and response systems, school safety, policy development, research, and advocacy. We also promote the meaningful involvement of women and youth in peace and security efforts, acknowledging their vital role in preventing violence and maintaining peace.

A key part of our mission is advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. We support women’s leadership, strengthen networks of women peace advocates, and create chances for women to influence decision-making in their communities and institutions. We strive to improve community resilience through skill-building, engaging stakeholders, and developing locally owned strategies that foster security, inclusion, and accountability.

Our current peacebuilding efforts include initiatives like the Empowering Community Security (ECOS) Project. This project strengthens local peace frameworks through community involvement, collaboration among stakeholders, and training Peace Ambassadors to recognize and address emerging security threats. Another initiative, the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme, boosts community resilience by encouraging dialogue, enhancing local capabilities, and supporting joint approaches to conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

In addition to program implementation, EDF also helps develop policies and frameworks that improve protection and governance. We support research, facilitate consultations with multiple stakeholders, and offer technical expertise for policy efforts, such as crafting the Benue State Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Policy. Through these initiatives, we create environments where vulnerable populations are safeguarded, institutions are more responsive, and communities can handle conflicts peacefully.

By combining research, advocacy, partnerships, and community-driven action, EDF builds safer, more inclusive, and more resilient communities where peace is maintained, rights are upheld, and everyone has the chance to thrive.

Health is the foundation of thriving communities and sustainable development. At Elohim Development Foundation (EDF), we are committed to improving health outcomes by empowering individuals, strengthening community resilience, and promoting equitable access to health information and services. We believe that lasting improvements in public health require more than treatment—they depend on prevention, education, community participation, and strong partnerships that address the social and behavioral factors influencing health and wellbeing.

Our health programming focuses on preventive healthcare, health education, behaviour change communication, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), maternal and child health, nutrition, substance abuse prevention, gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response, and community health promotion. Through evidence-based interventions, we work to equip individuals and communities with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.

Recognizing that young people are central to building healthier societies, EDF works closely with schools, youth groups, parents, educators, and community leaders to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce risk behaviours. Our school-based health programmes create safe spaces where children and adolescents can learn about mental wellbeing, substance abuse prevention, sexual and reproductive health, life skills, and responsible decision-making. Through interactive sessions and community engagement, we encourage young people to become informed advocates for healthy living within their schools and communities.

Mental health and psychosocial support are integral to our work, particularly in humanitarian and displacement settings. EDF provides psychosocial support (PSS) to internally displaced persons and other vulnerable populations affected by conflict, trauma, and crisis, helping individuals and families rebuild resilience, restore dignity, and strengthen their capacity to cope. We also offer scheduled counselling sessions facilitated by qualified professionals, including our Executive Director, a trained psychologist, ensuring that individuals have access to confidential, person-centred psychological support when they need it most.

As part of our commitment to protecting vulnerable populations, EDF provides gender-based violence (GBV) counselling, psychological first-line support, and referral services. Working with healthcare providers, protection actors, and relevant government agencies, we ensure that survivors are connected to appropriate medical, psychosocial, legal, and protection services through safe and ethical referral pathways while promoting survivor-centred care and confidentiality.

Beyond community-based interventions, EDF contributes to strengthening health systems through research, policy engagement, and technical support. We collaborate with government institutions, development partners, and civil society organizations to promote policies that improve access to quality healthcare and protect the health rights of vulnerable populations. This includes supporting the development, implementation, and advocacy of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) policies and frameworks that promote informed decision-making, equitable access to services, and improved health outcomes for women, young people, and communities.

EDF also supports awareness campaigns on national and international health observances, using these platforms to educate communities on pressing public health issues, reduce stigma, and encourage positive health-seeking behaviours. By combining advocacy, outreach, and strategic communications, we help translate complex health information into practical actions that improve lives and strengthen community resilience.

Our approach emphasizes collaboration with government institutions, healthcare providers, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners to expand the reach and sustainability of health interventions. We believe that strong partnerships are essential to improving health systems, increasing community participation, and ensuring that vulnerable and underserved populations are not left behind.

Through research, community engagement, advocacy, policy engagement, and direct service delivery, EDF continues to contribute to healthier communities where individuals are empowered to make informed choices, access quality support services, recover from trauma, and live productive, dignified lives.

Education is a powerful driver of opportunity, resilience, and sustainable development. At Elohim Development Foundation (EDF), we believe that every child and young person deserves access to safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments where they can develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to reach their full potential. Our education programmes are designed to strengthen both formal and informal learning systems while equipping learners to become informed, responsible, and engaged members of their communities.

Our work focuses on promoting access to quality education, school safety and protection, life skills development, youth leadership, civic responsibility, safeguarding, and learner wellbeing. We partner with schools, government institutions, educators, parents, community leaders, and development partners to create learning environments that are protective, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs of children and young people.

Recognizing that education extends beyond the classroom, EDF delivers school-based outreach programmes that address critical issues affecting learners, including substance abuse prevention, mental health awareness, sexual and reproductive health education, personal safety, conflict prevention, and responsible decision-making. A key platform for this work is FrankTalk, EDF's interactive school engagement initiative that creates safe spaces for open, honest, and age-appropriate conversations with students. Through FrankTalk, learners are encouraged to ask questions, challenge harmful norms, build life skills, and gain practical knowledge on issues that directly affect their wellbeing, academic success, and future aspirations. The initiative promotes dialogue, critical thinking, and informed decision-making while fostering trust between learners, educators, and facilitators.

School safety remains a central component of our education programming. EDF works with education stakeholders to strengthen school protection systems by promoting safeguarding practices, supporting the development of safer learning environments, and building the capacity of teachers, school administrators, and communities to prevent, identify, and respond to risks that may affect learners. Our approach recognizes that children learn best when they feel safe, protected, and supported.

We also believe that young people are not only beneficiaries of education but also agents of change. Through leadership development, volunteerism, civic engagement, peace education, and mentorship, EDF equips young people with the confidence, critical thinking skills, and sense of responsibility needed to address challenges within their communities and contribute to peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable development.

Our education programmes are strengthened through collaboration with government agencies, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and local communities. By combining evidence-based programming, advocacy, community engagement, and strategic partnerships, we work to improve educational outcomes while addressing the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence learning and development.

Through education, EDF is investing in a future where every learner has the opportunity to thrive, every school provides a safe and enabling environment, and every young person is empowered with the knowledge, values, and skills to become a catalyst for positive change in their community and beyond.

Healthy communities depend on a clean, safe, and sustainable environment. At Elohim Development Foundation (EDF), our Environment, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (E-WASH) programmes are designed to improve public health, protect natural resources, and strengthen community resilience through integrated environmental stewardship and WASH interventions. We recognize that access to safe water, adequate sanitation, proper hygiene, and a healthy environment is essential for human dignity, disease prevention, and sustainable development.

EDF works with communities, government institutions, schools, healthcare facilities, and development partners to improve access to safe water, promote sanitation and hygiene practices, and encourage environmentally responsible behaviours. Our interventions combine community education, advocacy, infrastructure support, and capacity building to help communities adopt sustainable solutions that improve health and wellbeing.

Our WASH programming focuses on hygiene promotion, sanitation awareness, handwashing campaigns, menstrual hygiene management, environmental health education, and community-led initiatives that reduce the spread of waterborne and hygiene-related diseases. Through behaviour change communication and community engagement, we empower individuals and households to adopt healthy practices that contribute to safer and healthier living environments.

Recognizing the link between education and health, EDF integrates WASH interventions into schools by promoting safe and hygienic learning environments, supporting hygiene education, and encouraging students to become champions of good sanitation and environmental responsibility within their schools and communities.

Environmental sustainability is a core component of our work. EDF supports initiatives that promote climate resilience, environmental conservation, waste management, tree planting, ecosystem restoration, and responsible natural resource management. Through awareness campaigns, community mobilization, and stakeholder partnerships, we encourage communities to take collective action in protecting the environment while strengthening their capacity to adapt to environmental and climate-related challenges.

Our approach emphasizes collaboration with government agencies, community-based organizations, traditional institutions, and development partners to develop practical, locally owned solutions that improve environmental health and expand access to WASH services. We also contribute to policy dialogue and advocacy efforts aimed at strengthening environmental governance and promoting sustainable development practices.

By integrating environmental protection with water, sanitation, and hygiene programming, EDF is helping to build healthier, safer, and more resilient communities where people have access to clean water, live in healthier environments, and are empowered to safeguard natural resources for present and future generations.

Agriculture is central to food security, economic stability, and sustainable livelihoods. At Elohim Development Foundation (EDF), we recognize that thriving agricultural systems depend not only on improved practices and environmental sustainability but also on peace, security, and safe access to productive farmlands. Our work focuses on strengthening resilient food systems by promoting peaceful coexistence, climate resilience, sustainable resource management, and collaborative approaches to agricultural development.

EDF works with government institutions, development partners, research organizations, civil society organizations, traditional institutions, and local communities to address the interconnected challenges of food insecurity, resource-based conflicts, environmental degradation, and rural development. Through evidence-based programming, community engagement, and strategic partnerships, we contribute to building resilient agricultural systems that support sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.

A key component of our work is promoting peaceful access to agricultural land and reducing conflicts that threaten farming communities. Recognizing that insecurity and disputes over land and natural resources significantly impact food production and rural livelihoods, EDF integrates peacebuilding, dialogue, mediation, and community engagement into agricultural and rural development initiatives. We support collaborative efforts that strengthen social cohesion, encourage peaceful conflict resolution, and create enabling environments where farming activities can be carried out safely and productively.

EDF also promotes practical learning and community awareness through its agricultural demonstration farm, where subsistence farming techniques are practiced and showcased. The demonstration farm serves as a learning hub for sustainable agricultural practices, environmental stewardship, and household food production. It reflects our commitment to encouraging self-reliance, responsible land use, and locally driven solutions that contribute to improved food security and resilient livelihoods.

Our programming further promotes climate-smart agriculture, sustainable natural resource management, food systems resilience, nutrition-sensitive interventions, environmental conservation, and responsible land-use practices. Through awareness campaigns, policy dialogue, capacity strengthening, and community-based initiatives, we encourage sustainable approaches that improve food security while protecting the natural resources upon which communities depend.

Recognizing the importance of inclusive development, EDF promotes the participation of women, young people, and marginalized groups in agricultural and food systems governance. We believe that equitable access to opportunities, inclusive decision-making, and community ownership are essential for building resilient livelihoods and sustainable food systems.

Through collaboration with government agencies, research institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners, EDF contributes to policy dialogue, knowledge sharing, and innovative solutions that strengthen agricultural governance, improve food and nutrition security, and foster peaceful coexistence in rural communities.

By integrating peacebuilding, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, practical learning, and strategic partnerships, EDF is helping to create communities where farmers and rural households can access safe farmlands, strengthen their livelihoods, improve food security, and contribute to long-term peace and sustainable development.