Shalom’s tireless efforts in building peace and developing institutions among conflicting communities (ethnic-tribes) continue in this month of August with a series of activities in 7 counties across Kenya. Being in the second half of the program implementation plan for the year 2018. Our program is giving much attention to the implementation of various peacebuilding activities at the community level with the aim of enhancing positive intercommunity relationships. This involves in-depth analysis, training on conflict transformation, peacebuilding, reconciliation processes and joint development dynamics. The first half of the year has seen the development of intermediate and long-term action plans in different project areas hence the commitment towards activity implementation as we draw closer to the end of this year’s program plan.
Other than the community activities geared towards conflict transformation and peacebuilding, Shalom is also giving a heavy focus to Peace Development Projects. This month, SCCRR’s focus is in nine (9) interethnic and interreligious schools within conflict environments in Northern Kenya. These includes; Turkana, West Pokot, Samburu and Marsabit Counties. The schools children and communities are set to benefit from various learning materials and facilities courtesy of Shalom’s development work and supplies. The support that Shalom offers to these schools will go a long way in encouraging enrolment in the target schools thus significantly providing better options than militarism way of life. Our projects will help these schools to renovate their classrooms, build new classrooms in corroboration with communities around the school, supply of solar lighting system and their accessories, supply of text books and other teaching and learning materials, sanitary facilities as well as supply of seating facilities like desks, tables and chairs. Children in these interethnic and interreligious schools will therefore experience the enrichment of education and increased development possibilities going forward towards a better future.
All this is aimed at ensuring that peace prevails in this region which is the ultimate goal of Shalom-SCCRR. We believe that by supporting education, the communities will be more informed and hence find alternative means of resolving their conflicts rather than violence. This will also improve their livelihood as well as foster community development since education is that key that can open many doors in life.
Find the details of our August 2018 activities in the elaborate schedule below:
Our gratitude goes to the very skilled Shalom team in Nairobi enriched by the frequent expert advice from our Country Director Rev. Fr. Oliver Noonan, MA, and Rev. Dr. Patrick Devin, Ph.D. for their assistance on context conflict/development research and analysis. The unwavering commitment and skillful expertise of all the Shalom team that are working towards the implementation of Shalom’s program is contributing a great deal towards community empowerment to a degree that cannot be compared.
On behalf of the Shalom team, we like to thank all of you our friends, supporters and people of good will living in the conflict environments, who tirelessly support this noble course by making it possible for all of us here to support the peacebuilding and development efforts among the conflicting communities in Kenya and beyond.
By SCCRR Program Management Team & Peace Development Projects Officer:
Godfrey Okoth Onyango, M.A., Program Manager
Joyce Wamae Kamau, M.A., Assistant Program Manager, Peace Education and Development
Paulson Tadeo Erot, M.A., Assistant Program Manager, Peacebuilding Program
Austin Ngacha Macharia, M.A., Program Officer (Education/Development Projects)
