This is David Z's summary of approximately 150 workshops AVP is currently doing in Western Kenya. It's a huge and laudable undertaking. Read on! (Mary)
AVP – Kenya
David Zaremka
Here are activities that we have done and are doing here in Kenya
1. Takatifu Gardens: "Takatifu" means "holy." This is a group of four Australians who are semi-Quakers. They somehow got connected with Central Yearly Meeting (that is here in Kenya, not the one in the US). About two years ago, they started building a small place in a town, Shinyalu, about 10 miles from Kakamega. It is very nicely constructed. Before the violence their place (which can sleep 24 with six to a room) was used for volunteers from overseas and from Kenya itself. Their program was a lending library of mostly Christian books to the children in the schools in the area.
During the violence there were almost no volunteers to host, so they got the idea of doing AVP workshops in their space. We quickly agreed. They have already done eight basic workshops, mostly for people in their community. Our arrangement is that they cover all the participants' costs (food is the biggest item) and AVP covers the facilitator costs.
We have used the workshops there to give additional experience to some of our beginning facilitators. Already three have moved from beginners to experienced. Next week we will have two residential advanced workshops. We have changed the concept here. Formerly we would do some basic workshops in an area and then do an advanced workshop with the best participants from the basic workshops. We now plan on doing some of the advanced workshops at Takatifu and bring four or five people from various basic workshops we have done in different communities so that people from different parts of western Kenya will be brought together. I think this is a nice development.
2. Buchifi Community Center: Brad Ogilvie, who works at William Penn House in Washington, DC., has connected with us. He has an organization called the Mosaic Initiative. It's goal is "Through our three initiatives, we bring together people from all walks of life, and touch on near and far corners of the world. We work with these individuals and groups to identify common goals aimed at preventing the spread of HIV and promoting unity in our communities. The creative partners and coalitions are committed to working closely with treatment and care organizations to insure that the newly and previously diagnosed people with HIV receive compassionate and appropriate services, while also working diligently to overcome the economic and social conditions that feed the perpetuation of HIV and other preventable diseases."
One of these initiatives is to support Buchifi Community Center here in Kenya. Their contact person is named Eluid Ojenge. What I find interesting is that unlike most AIDS prevention programs, which focus only on prevention, the Mosaic Initiative sees that AIDS will be best prevented by solving many problems in a community, including poverty and, in the current situation in Kenya, peace. As such Brad, who was receiving my updates from Kenya, asked if we could do AVP workshops with youth in the Buchifi community. The Mosaic Initiative has sent us funds to do some workshops and we will be starting with the first two next week.
3. AVP-Turkana: WE have been trying to introduce AVP to the Turkana and Pokot in northern Kenya. These are pastoral peoples whose youth frequently steal each other’s cows and engage in running battles. Due to various circumstances we were unable to implement the program. Finally at the end of March we were able to do the first two AVP basic workshops which went well. We will now be bringing three Pokot and three Turkana to one of the advanced workshops next week at Takatifu Gardens and then for a training of facilitators at the Lubao Center.
4. Lugari District: Here we have done one AVP basic workshop with youth from the Lumakanda community, and as I write we are doing the first AVP basic in the Turbo Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp nearby. We plan to do another basic in the community and another in the IDP camp, and then do at least two advanced workshops bringing the two groups together. We will also do AVP workshops in other areas of Lugari District.
5. ARO: This is a center near Bondo in Nyanza Province (Luo rather than Luhya). Getry, Eunice and I visited it yesterday. This center is supported by the Norwegians, and its purpose is poverty eradication and peace-building. They have done a lot on the poverty eradication with many interesting projects. They have outreach branches in the communty around them. Our AVP staff member, Bernard Onjala, is affiliated with this organization. Recently twelve of the AVP participants went to an IDP camp in Kisumu, mostly of Luo who were attacked in Naivasha and Nakuru, to counsel them. They have a picture, with all of them and an about five-year-old boy who watched the attackers cut of the heads of both his parents! Their AVP program is to do the workshops with youth in five of their branches. This ought to start in about two weeks.
6. Chwele Yearly Meeting: Chwele Yearly Meeting is right below the conflict on Mt Elgon. The conflict is coming down the mountain and already has impacted their area. We have approved a proposal to do ten AVP basic workshops with youth in ten different Friends churches in the yearly meeting.
7. Uzima Foundation: Janet Ifedha, who is the Uzima Foundation coordinator in Western Province and an experienced AVP facilitator, has given us a proposal to do 20 workshop with the bicycle taxi drivers in three communities near Kakamega. These will begin as soon as they are arranged. Uzima had developed their own youth facilitators.
8. Lubao Peace Centre: The week after next we will hold a Training for Facilitators at the Lubao Centre. We will be bringing in the best participants from the various places we have done AVP, including Friends Theological College. Since we are doing so many workshops, we need to have more facilitators. Here is the advantage of having our own center. Normally a residential workshop would cost us around $1000 or more, but I expect that this one at Lubao will cost about $500, so this is saving us at least $500.
We badly need the office building that the workcampers started last summer. Barbara Myers and Dawn/Mark Amos have collected $6,000 to continue with the construction. The last rows of the bricks are being put on and then the roof. This will probably take all these funds, so we will still be needing others for doors, windows, plastering, etc.
At Adrien's request, because he would have just returned from his highly successful tour of the US, the HROC Healing Companion training has been postponed until the end of May. This will be at the Peace Centre.
9. Others: There are a number of other groups that are developing proposals for AVP with youth in their community. In Gladys's home village of Viyalo, the Rafiki Mwema (Good Friends) Women's Group, which is supported by Right Sharing of World Resources, is planning some AVP workshops for their members and then the youth in the area. The Friends Church in Eldoret will sponsor 20 workshops with youth. Twenty are also planned for Malava and 20 for Kimilili, which is also on Mt Elgon and the place from which many of the displaced people come. Not counting the workshops at Takatifu, Buchifi, and Lubao, the total is about 150 workshops. We also have one proposal expected from Kitale.
Comments: When people want to do a series of AVP workshops, we ask them for a proposal (we give them a form) which includes the venue, who the workshops are for, the responsible person/group, etc. and a budget.
Peace,
Dave
David Zarembka, Coordinator
African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams
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