Kenya

Blog Post:  Posted September 2, 2010, 2:56 pm by Job Matseshe

My introduction: Job Matseshe

Country: Kenya

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of profiles about the participants in this week's writing and photography training in Kitgum, Uganda. They've written introductory pieces about themselves to share with Mercy Corps readers.

Born and raised in an extended family had its fair bit of fun and challenges that must be credited with having given me the experience to tolerate and understand other people. In our family, we had all kinds of people: I had three brothers, two sisters and an endless cast of cousins, uncles and aunties that would come and go. This taught me — albeit in a crude way — that there can be positive competition for resources and attention. Being the last-born, attention was very paramount to my joy and happiness.

This upbringing in a "competitively hostile" setting has proved to be my asset in the peace building efforts that Mercy Corps Kenya is currently undertaking in the Rift Valley province of Kenya. Ironically, I was a trouble maker in the family — with constant arguments and fights among my siblings — but this also served as a learning experience for future tasks.

Over the last days, I have had to travel by bus miles away from my home — Kenya — to Uganda and then across Uganda, another long and gruesome bus trip to the remote northern town of Kitgum. Here it feels like I am back to my extended family that I so loved and cherished: 22 participants from across Africa are here with me to learn how writing and photography complement each other.

It has been a great experience and as we group together from 10 African countries where Mercy Corps works — Kenya, Somalia, Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Niger, Liberia, Congo, Zimbabwe and our hosts, Uganda — I can only remember with nostalgia the days of my extended family, full of fun, love and diversity.

Blog Post:  Posted July 8, 2010, 5:06 pm by Geri Manzano

Coaching Kenya's young women

Country: Kenya

Topics: Women's Empowerment, Sports

Beatrice Chelimo (left) is the coach of the Cheptuget Women's Football Club. Pamela Mayende is one of her players. Her teammates call her “Van Persie” after Robin van Persie, the Netherlands striker who'll be playing in Sunday's World Cup final. Photo: Geri Manzano/Mercy Corps

Beatrice Chelimo noticed the slender woman on the sidelines, matching the movements of her footballers. She looked like she had all the right moves. Like any good coach, Beatrice asked her if she wanted to play.

Beatrice, who’s now 43, started coaching soccer in her native Kenya when she noticed so many girls had dropped out of school and had nothing productive to do.

In April 2007 she organized her own team, but things fell apart when post-election violence chilled relations between tribes in the Eldoret region. Still, Beatrice had a desire to tap into the talents of girls and help them do more for themselves. That’s when she learned about Mercy Corps and our post-election reconciliation efforts.

Our initiatives included a program to reconnect youth through sports. We outfitted Beatrice’s team – Cheptuget, which means “dove” in the local dialect -- with football gear and provided training classes in conflict resolution, leadership training, entrepreneurship training and fundraising.

The women range in age between 18 and 35. About half have children themselves; most have had few opportunities to play organized sports since leaving school. Beatrice is trained as a tailor, and one of the things she does under Mercy Corps’ program is teach her charges how to sew. Many sew until 3 p.m. each day, then hit the football pitch.

That’s where they were the day Beatrice spotted her new player. Her name was Pamela Mayende. And she turned out to be so good that her teammates now call her “Van Persie” after Robin van Persie, the Netherlands striker who'll be playing in Sunday's World Cup final.

I asked Beatrice and Pamela to explain to me the importance of the skills training and camaraderie that Mercy Corps’ program offered. They said that many women often make marriage decisions based on economic concerns. That is, they end up marrying much older men purely for financial security. I said, "That doesn't sound like much fun," and they both laughed.

Beatrice and Pamela showed me how Mercy Corps is giving women real choices in their lives – sometimes for the first time. Beatrice is changing the lives of young women. And as for Pamela, she gets to do what most young women her age have had to give up: play football!

Blog Post:  Posted April 22, 2010, 7:07 pm by Geri Manzano

The hard work of peacebuilding

Country: Kenya

Topics: Peaceful Change, Displacement, Conflict & War, Citizen Involvement

“If you remember nothing else, remember our thanks.”

The District Peace Committee is made up of the elders in the Eldoret area of Kenya, who meet regularly. It is a sacrifice for many as some come from the outlying rural areas where there is no regular public transportation. They do it for the future of Kenya — for their children and grandchildren.

As with the groups aimed at the youth, this is a mixed group. They are made up of numerous tribes — Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Luhya, Kamba, Luo, Kisii and Turkana. They are male and female.

With funding from USAID, Mercy Corps supports this and other committees that promote dialogues for peace. These elders have heard many heartbreaking stories that people have shared about the period of violence after the elections of December 2007. They have heard women crying because their daughters were raped. But these meetings provide a place for people to share their stories and the elders remind them that no matter what happened, life must go on and that the goal has to be making a better future in Kenya.

Stephen Mwangi is one of the committee members. He lost his home and livestock during the violence.

“It was the devil’s work,” he said as he described how he had been relatively prosperous, but his large house was burned and he and his extended family were forced to flee to “The Showgrounds,” a displacement camp in a fairgrounds area.

He is a Kikuyu, but his children had married outside of their own tribe. As the patriarch, Stephen had to protect them and argue for them not to be harmed by those in the camp. After he had built good relationships within the camp, he decided to try returning to his original home. Though he returned as a minority Kikuyu among Kalenjin neighbors, he went and talked to his former neighbors and saw it was safe to return. He then went back to the camp and convinced his family and others that the neighbors would welcome them back.

Stephen and all the members wanted me to convey their thanks to Mercy Corps and our donors, who support the committee by providing transportation, a place to meet, office space and other means of support Their work has brought together tribes and communities and often led to reconciliation between neighbors. They hope for continued support as Kenya gets closer to the next elections in 2012.

Blog Post:  Posted April 14, 2010, 12:35 am by Geri Manzano

Reconciliation after violence

Country: Kenya

Topics: Youth, Sports, Peaceful Change, Citizen Involvement

The Mercy Corps programme in Kenya is all about reconciliation after the period of violence in late 2007 and early 2008. Everyone in Kenya has "post-election violence" on the tip of their tongue, but many small groups supported by Mercy Corps are working to make sure such violence never happens again.

One example is the LEAP Sports Programme. Working in partnership with a local Kenyan organisation, Youth Consortium Kenya and Nike, it is changing many young lives in the Eldoret area of the country.

When I met Gabriel Gitau, 23, he was anxious to talk about the LEAP Programme. He shared how the post-election violence led to the brutal killing of his father and how his family did not know what had happened to him for a month. The rest of the family had to flee and live in a displacement camp for two months.

When they returned home, Gabriel's mum fell ill, became paralyzed and had to leave the family. As the eldest son of four children, it fell on Gabriel to care for his siblings. He works to support them and pay their school fees.

Gabriel was understandably depressed after the death of his father and said he looked and felt sick. Football (which we know as football in the U.S.) was his only outlet.

His team eventually became part of the LEAP programme. Through LEAP, Gabriel felt supported and learned about forgiveness. This programme included various trainings, one of which is "Conflict Mitigation and Transformation."

"This helped me get strength," Gabriel said and moved him past his former intentions to take revenge. He now plays football in a mixed team which includes members of the tribe who killed his father.

He has taken a different path and he gives us all hope for the future of Kenya.

Blog Post:  Posted April 5, 2010, 9:16 am by Geri Manzano

About to visit overseas programs for the first time

Country: Kenya

Topics: Peaceful Change

I am writing this blog entry from a small village in Kenya called Bondo.

As a Donor Relations Representative for Mercy Corps at our Portland headquarters, I primarily answer questions about Mercy Corps and assist donors. I don't get out of the office much. However, after 11 years with Mercy Corps, I am about to get the chance to visit one of our overseas programmes for the first time. I am in Kenya with another group and will be taking a side trip to the Mercy Corps programme in Eldoret, Kenya.

Already this trip has been amazing, especially our group's drive by van from Nairobi through the beautiful Rift Valley. It has some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world and is teeming with life, both people and animals. We passed through very green rural areas.

The beauty of this area almost masks the horrendous violence that occured here. Our Kenyan hostess, Judith, points out some tent camps in the distance. Those living there were displaced by the violence that happened after the elections in 2007.

Mercy Corps' programme in Eldoret was designed to address some of the underlying causes of that violence in that area of the Rift Valley. I look forward to reporting more on this programme in the days to come.

Blog Post:  Posted October 17, 2009, 12:00 am by Liesbeth Zonneveld

Political speeches and friendly tug-o-war highlight Peace Day in Keyna

Country: Kenya

Topics: Sports, Peaceful Change

Mercy Corps celebrated the International Day of Peace in Eldoret, Kenya on September 24. This date was chosen to allow participation of the Muslim community who were celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan, (Id Ul Fitr) on September 21. This event was linked to LEAP sports programme organised by Mercy Corps and African Sports and Talents for Change (A-STEP).

The event was attended by Eldoret West District Commissioner Mr. Ngaluma as guest of honour, the Mayor of Eldoret town, Mr. Samwel Rono, District Officers, various heads of government departments in the district, civic councillors, church leaders, civil society representatives, chiefs, and the local business community. The key events were sports activities, a peace match, and theatre presentations. The games attracted crowds of close to 1,000 people. These games were graced by several media houses among them KBC, Royal Media, Fish FM, and Kass FM.

The games formed the major component of the celebration, with football proving particularly popular. Key happenings included:

• Sharing of the peace curriculum developed by Mercy Corps as part of the LEAP sports programme
• Football competition (female and male teams)
• Dissemination of peace messages through leaflets, brochures and posters
• Artistic performances (drama, song and music)
• Speeches by government officials, politicians, civil society representatives, community leaders, and members from the business community

The event provided the space for peace actors to meet with Mercy Corps’ sports teams and government officials, the local community, and with leaders on issues of conflict and peace. The youth noted that in every conflict in Kenya, young people suffer most and benefit least.

Here are the activities we held:

Peace March
The march was flagged off by the Soi Division District Officer Mr. Ahmed. All the LEAP SPORT teams were well represented in the march with over 138 coaches and team leaders present, including 460 youths from various teams. Other participants in the march included government officials, members from the local business community, notably the Asians, IOM, UN-OCHA, Red Cross and several local NGOs and CBOs. Many more members of the public joined the march along the way to the venue of the celebrations causing a huge traffic jam along the Eldoret-Uganda road. A-STEP theatre group took the opportunity to announce peace messages through their songs and chants. The 2km walk ended at the Huruma playgrounds, the venue of the celebration.

Demonstration of the LEAP Programme Curriculum
Immediately after the March for Peace, all the LEAP Sport participants assembled together for the discussion on how the peace curriculum is helping them rebuild relationship broken during the post election violence in the community. The discussion was led by A-STEP events officer Andrew Makhanu. Later, Huruma youth ladies and men teams gave a demonstration on the topic Managing Emotions — a key subject of the LEAP programme curriculum.

Under 25s Men and Women’s Football Tournament
Thirteen teams of under 25 year olds participated in the tournament (8 men’s and 5 ladies’ teams). With a running theme of “AMANI IDUMU KENYA-One Day One Goal” the games were played in the true spirit of building alliances across ethnicities in the sometimes turbulent district. The games began with Mr. Fetha, Eldoret District Officer kicking up the ball after addressing the players and spectators. The District Officer advised the youth to make good use of the LEAP SPORT Programme, assuring them that the government was fully behind them and would give any support needed. The matches were played in two fields with over 1,000 spectators and fans watching and cheering. Iten FC (men) and Cheptiret FC (women) were the tournament winners.

Theatre Performances
Alongside the sports activities the A-STEP theatre group was given the chance to perform its peace drama. The drama was educative and entertaining with a focus on violence, youth and peacebuilding. The first part of the play, “Let it Not Happen Again,” was a representation of the 2007 post election violence, and the play presented a strong message for peace.

The Mayor of Eldoret Municipality Mr. Rono advised the community to live peacefully and focus on development. He also encouraged the youth to participate in peace activities giving the example of the LEAP SPORT Programme. The DC, Mr. Ngaluma’s speech ended the event. In his closing remarks, he observed: “We need to stay as brothers and sisters, living together is the only solution for the development of our economy, we should not depend on political advice that have turned up dividing the communities. The society has the task to advocate for peace right from the family level. As I stand here today I want to say that Mercy Corps together with A-STEP are doing a great work of uniting youth together through sports and engaging them in profitable activities during the weekends. We should all emulate this.”

Tug of War
The tug of war game was between the youth and the elders with the elders looking determined to win right from the beginning. The activity created a lot of excitement, with applause and cheering from all over. With the DC as the mediator, the elders emerged winners, with a youth saying, that for them, “it was a tactical and strategic” loss out of their respect for the elders.

Handover of the Curriculum to the District Commissioner
Upon conclusion of all events, the peace curriculum that the coaches and captains are using in the LEAP SPORT for Change Programme, was presented to the Eldoret West District Commissioner, and to other key local peace actors. “LEAP SPORT is not just about playing, but playing for change”, said the Mercy Corps programme coordinator. After the handing over of the curriculum, all the senior team coaches and team leaders were given tracksuits to encourage them to work even harder with their teams.

The more than 1,000 persons who marched amidst placards with peace inscriptions, , handbills, and banners, with songs and drum beats, left no doubt about their determination to build a peaceful society. Led by youths affiliated to African Sports and Talents for Change (A-STEP) the various teams in the larger Uasin Gishu were mobilized for the event. Apart from great inspirational speeches given by the various stakeholders and the games and performances, the event provided the district residents with the opportunity to reflect and share ideas on how to uphold peace in their home district.

The DC was later interviewed by the Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation (KBC) and various FM stations. In his speech, after giving trophies and presents to the winning teams at the celebration, the DC captured the attention of the excited but attentive crowd by quoting the enduring words of Oscar Arias Sánchez, Costa Rican President and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, to define peace. He said of peace: “Even though today some of you have emerged winners in the games we played...peace is not a matter of prices or trophies...it has no finishing line...peace is a never-ending process, but the work of many decisions by many people in many countries...”