The Central Africa Conflict Prevention Association (CACOPA) was started by five Congolese students who were in the midst of completing their master degrees in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban in 2006. The creation of this association was a way for them to contribute to the search for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Great Lakes Region in general. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced and is still experiencing violent conflict, particularly in the eastern part. In 2008 CACOPA organized the first Conflict Transformation and Alternative to Violence Project workshop for civil society members in Katanga Province; after the project, members moved into the eastern part of the country where violent conflict is seen by many as a daily occurrence. There is a big need to promote the culture of peace and this is what CACOPA is doing through gatherings, conferences and training.