Teshome NekatibebSamuel Asnake2026-06-162026-06-162025-04-15https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/8159The global decline in external aid to education in emergencies poses significant challenges to children's access to education in conflict-affected settings, necessitating new paradigms. This study explores how community engagement practices have influenced post-enrollment retention among displaced and host communities in the Oromia and Tigray regional states of Ethiopia. It mainly focused on the role of trust and networks in mobilizing local assets, thereby enhancing social capital to motivating children's reintegration, particularly through emergency school feeding programs implemented over two years. Employing a qualitative exploratory case study approach, the research was conducted in two purposefully selected localities recognized for their social cohesion with conflict induced internally displaced persons for two or more years. Participants, including village leaders, parents, teachers, students, NGO representatives, and officials were selected using purposive sampling, in particular snowball and availability sampling techniques. Data collection involved focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs) and focused observation checklist, which were transcribed, coded, and thermalized to facilitate thorough triangulation. An inductive qualitative data analysis technique allowed comprehensive interpretation aligned with the research questions. Findings indicate that internally displaced persons including their children, face substantial survival challenges impacting their right to basic education and social cohesion. Amid scaling conflict induced displacement, host communities exhibiting strong social bonds regardless of homogeneity or diversity demonstrated effective local asset mobilization to support IDPs. This engagement catalyzed social capital practices that fostered trust and mutual support, even amidst resource scarcity. Notably, the study found that community-based pathways, aligned with traditional cultural assets, proved more effective in enhancing post-enrollment retention compared to NGO or school-based feeding programs. The research highlights the importance of recognizing and integrating local community practices and indigenous assets within educational response policies during crises. Such an approach shows promise in sustaining educational initiatives and enhancing resilience among affected populations. Overall, the findings suggest that activating community engagement and local resources can create a robust support system for displaced and host communities, ultimately serve to catalyze cohesion and facilitate better educational outcomes during emergencies.enCommunity EngagementConflictHost CommunityIDPsSchool FeedingSocial CapitalDissertation