This study aims to explore the effectiveness of reconciliation in post-genocide peace building. Peace activists believe that reconciliation is necessary after a post-war conflict to ensure regeneration and lasting peace. Past research has shown that there are successful and failed cases when implementing reconciliation mechanism, however there is a lack of understanding why some models of reconciliation have succeeded, while others have failed, an aspect that is not fully explored. Therefore this study aims to explore how reconciliation is approached and implemented across different contexts, Rwanda and Cambodia, so as to understand why it brings success or failure in these contexts. The results are analyzed with the help of John Paul Lederach’s four components for reconciliation, justice, truth, mercy and peace, and compared the generated results with the previous research. The main results show that reconciliation has failed in Cambodia and Rwanda. In accordance with John Paul Lederach’s theory, there is a hindrance towards reconciliation in Cambodia because of lack of Justice and Truth as the main concepts and is identified as a structural dimension. In the case of Rwanda, there is a lack of Mercy and Truth and is identified as a relational dimension.

”Sustainable reconciliation”, a form of international aid relief program, has been developed and constructed to help populations overcome war trauma, using different activities within art, entertainment and sports.  Theorists claim that if conducted properly, activities such as these, should lead to good social capital, causing higher levels of culture tolerance, gender equality and creativity, as well as better health and life satisfaction. This study has examined how the non-governmental organization, the Cross Cultural Project Association’s relief program, the Open Fun Football Schools has affected its participants in Belgrade, Serbia. A quantitative analysis has been conducted through the means of a multi question survey, to see if certain variables are correlated with the projects influence, “OFFS social capital”. According to the results, the activities did have positive effects on education, culture tolerance, gender equality, creativity, heath and life satisfaction. In addition the social capital influenced by the activities was found to be dependent on participants’ level of culture tolerance, and vice versa. The project is found to set the foundation for good social networking possibilities and create good social capital, all great aspects for the purpose of peace building.