The repeated recurrences of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict since 1992 following the break-up of the Soviet Union, along with the increasing isolation of South Ossetia from the outside world have resulted in widespread trauma and the destruction of the South Ossetian social fabric. Since the latest flare-up of violent hostilities in August 2008, opportunities for working on issues related to peacebuilding and civil society development in the South Ossetian context have been reduced to a minimum. Enemy images and stereotypes created during wartime are exacerbated by political and media discourses. Meanwhile, the reinforcement of physical borders hinders both social and economic interactions between people, reducing longer-term prospects for peaceful coexistence.
Confidence building in this context must be approached extremely sensitively, as premature efforts can have negative impacts that would set back the prospect for dialogue and normalisation of relations for decades.
International Alert is working with teachers to provide skills in dealing with individual and social trauma, to help them provide adequate support to their pupils, parents and communities. Through a combination of training and "learning by doing", these teachers are offered a wide range of tools that they can use in the classroom and in their communities. They are encouraged to initiate extra-curricular activities and promote problem-solving at a local level in recognition of how self-help and community mobilisation can be a powerful antidote to social trauma.