Community participation, along with good governance, rights ownership and accountability, can contribute greatly to reconstruction efforts and conflict resolution. Communities are often among the first to step forward to provide education, which can be highly successful and establish a foundation for partnerships with government after conflict has subsided. The book recommends that building trust and healing relationships is the first step to ensuring effective implementation of humanitarian or development activities. It suggests that traditional authorities and structures should be revised to ensure that communities are the centre of the cultural and social dimensions of education activities.