Snapshots: Women Transforming Conflict at the Forefront and Grassroots in Informal Urban Settlements (Slums) and Remote Impoverished Terrains.
Eastern Africa

Snapshots: Women Transforming Conflict at the Forefront and Grassroots in Informal Urban Settlements (Slums) and Remote Impoverished Terrains.

By December 9, 2025 January 15th, 2026 No Comments

Strengthening Peace Through Community Leadership

Shalom-SCCRR continues to lead transformative peacebuilding in Nairobi’s informal settlements and remote marginalized areas by empowering women with practical skills in conflict analysis, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding. Trained leaders are taking bold steps to address inter-ethnic, inter-religious, gender-based violence (GBV), domestic violence, human and organ trafficking, ideological extremism and radicalization, among others, in their communities.

A section of Kibera’s slums where Shalom-SCCRR works to bring about conflict transformation, sustainable peace, and development.

Empowerment of Women with Conflict Analytical Skills and Peacebuilding Techniques

The capacity-building programs are empowering women and youth with analytical skills and peacebuilding techniques essential for conflict transformation and reconciliation in their conflict environments. Women have been empowered through trainings on Paradigms of Conflict Analysis {Realism, Structuralism (Peace Research) and Conflict Research}, Conflict Transformation, Reconciliation, Women and Conflict, Conflict Negotiation, Conflict Mediation, Countering Human and Organ Trafficking, Prevention of Radicalization into Religious Ideological Extremism, Action Planning & Community Mobilization for Conflict Intervention and Women’s Economic Livelihood Resilience and Entrepreneurship. These trainings have been key to enabling the women to develop frameworks for preventing and transforming emerging violent situations within communities.

Mr. Godfrey Okoth (PhD Candidate), facilitating a training workshop with women from Uthiru Informal Settlements on the prevention of religious ideological extremism and radicalization.
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Empowering Women Leaders for Grassroots Action Plan Interventions

Through intensive facilitation and action-planning sessions, women leaders from various informal settlements developed strategic, context-specific interventions. These action plans form the backbone of sustainable peace efforts at the local level.

Ms. Habiba Dika, BA, (MA Candidate), facilitating a feedback session with the Kibera women’s group after discussions on actionable interventions to address inter-ethnic conflict in the community.

Impact on the Community

Women trained by Shalom-SCCRR are now leading on-the-ground interventions in Conflict Transformation, Peacebuilding, and Development that have already yielded remarkable improvements in the settlements. Some of the key impact highlights include;

Impact Highlights:
  • Increased reporting and addressing of inter-ethnic, inter-religious, and domestic violence
  • Enhanced early-warning networks for conflict
  • Community-led negotiations and mediations resolving conflicts
  • Expansion of women-led peace committees
  • Strengthened community trust and cohesion
  • Increased sensitization on human and organ trafficking
  • Reduced vulnerabilities to religious ideological extremism and radicalization
  • Increased women’s participation in peacebuilding, leadership, and decision-making processes
  • Identification and mobilization for school/educational development support
An ongoing women-led community forum at the grassroots in Dagoretti Corner. The women analyzed their role in peacebuilding.
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Shalom-SCCRR trained community facilitator, Ms. Faith Osore conducting a women’s grassroots forum in Kibera Slums on addressing the different forms of violence against women and children. The women identified and analyzed the feasible interventions to address the drivers of these acts of violence.

A Proven Grassroots Model

Shalom-SCCRR’s community-driven model ensures that solutions are locally owned, culturally relevant, sustainable, and rooted in lived experience. By centering women—who hold significant influence in their communities—Shalom-SCCRR is nurturing inclusive, collaborative peace processes deeply grounded in day-to-day realities.

Sr. Jovalet Ariho guiding an interactive session with women leaders from Ngando urban informal settlements (slums) on their role as agents of transforming the key drivers of violence against women and children in their areas.

Voices of Appreciation

The women leaders express sincere gratitude to Shalom-SCCRR and the generous donors and partners supporting this vital work. Their dedication ensures that peace is nurtured from the ground up, creating safer and more resilient communities.

Mr. Michael Duignan and Ms. Katie McGuckin joined Shalom-SCCRR team members, Ms. Esther Kibe, MA, and Ms. Habiba Dika (MA Candidate) in a training workshop on Reconciliation with women from Nairobi’s Mathare Slums. We appreciate their active participation and contributions during the training sessions that brought immense encouragement and inspiration to the women, reinforcing their confidence and resilience. We appreciate their genuine solidarity and unwavering belief in Shalom’s mission to build peace and transform conflict in Eastern Africa.
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By:

John Kennedy Odhiambo, MA, Shalom-SCCRR Project Officer, Samburu Project.

Esther Kibe, MA, Shalom-SCCRR, Women’s Project Officer.

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