Amadu Suma used to think there was only one way to solve problems – authoritarianism. He made all of the major household decisions by himself. He ordered around his children and didn’t listen to what they had to say, and always told his teenage daughter “no” to outings with friends, which caused constant conflict between the two. “Even with my wife,” says Suma, “whenever I went out and she asked where I was going, I didn't even respond. I felt she was a woman and didn't need to know where I was going.”

In 2003, USAID trained 183 community leaders in nation building skills as part of the larger USAID goal to promote peace, security, and stability in Sierra Leone. “Now after the training,” says Suma, “I am able to listen to people. The question I ask myself is, 'Suppose somebody else does the same thing to me – how would I feel?’” Nation building training has been delivered to a broad group of leaders in civil society, including men, women, and youth to promote peace, healing, reaffirmation of community values, good leadership, conflict management, and the rebuilding of better-run, more transparent government institutions.