THEMATIC AREAS

Peace Building and Governance

Communities in ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) regions face numerous challenges, including population pressure, a shrinking natural resource base, increasing incidents of cattle raiding, and communal conflicts. Peacebuilding in these areas focuses on fostering social capital and political harmony across ethnic, religious, national, and racial divides. This process involves the prevention of violence, conflict management, and the resolution or transformation of disputes.

SND is committed to supporting the survival and peaceful integration of pastoralist communities. We work closely with these communities to develop and implement sustainable development initiatives that respect and honor their values and traditions. To achieve this, SND will concentrate on three key areas: peacebuilding, governance, and conflict resolution. By linking peacebuilding efforts with state-building through good governance and responsive service provision, as well as fostering economic development through opportunity and partnership, SND aims to ensure lasting peace and prosperity for communities in Northern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia.

Achievements

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Peace, Conflict Resolution and Governance

  • Support trauma healing processes for the local communities affected by the conflict,
  • Facilitating community dialogues -on peace building initiatives: supporting dialogue sessions among women, youth, elders and religious leaders,
  • Support youth/women sporting/cultural events that results in reconciliation among rivaling communities,
  • Enhance women roles in peace and security,
  • Support mainstreaming of youth participation in community decision-making discussion,
  • Support creation/ enforcing of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms between warring communities i.e. Declarations
  • Enhance mediation and advocacy skills among elders & religious leaders through conflict prevention, mitigation and response trainings,
  • Support strengthening the capacity of cross border peace committees,
  • Promote greater leadership skills among women & youth,
  • Strengthen entrepreneurial & mentoring skills for youth and linking them to employment opportunities,
  • Facilitate youth-led outreach campaigns that expose the cost of engaging in violence,
  • Support peace clubs in schools and organize inter-school peace forums for cross learning,
  • Enhance/improve cross border coordination & communication efforts among & between local government authorities,
  • Support regular inter & intra local government and cross border meetings, promote partnership between /with local/government & peace networks,
  • Strengthen Capacity of Border management Committees,
  • Support the community understanding of integrated border management systems and the importance of peace and security in facilitating cross border trade/movement,
  • Strengthen local EWER mechanisms within and across the border,
  • Strengthen mechanisms for co-management of shared and contested resources,
  • Build community-police relations and
  • Increase levels of conflict-sensitive development.

Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism

Youth Mentoring Program: Dialogue with respected religious leaders and scholars, moderated debates to challenge violent extremism ideologies, economic empowerment through entrepreneurship trainings and linkages to available opportunities i.e. youth enterprise funds and use of multi-media such as radio, talk shows, IEC materials and social media to promote tolerance, diversity and sense of citizenship among youths.

Strengthening Women Voice against Violent Extremism: training women on early sign of radicalization, leadership, human rights, leadership and participation in decision making at family and societal level, monitoring movements of visitors and sharing intelligence information with security agencies, creation of women support groups to promote women voices against violent extremism and documenting women experiences on impacts of radicalization to families and societies.

School Mentorship Programme: Engagement with students to train them on dangers of radicalization and extremist ideologies, formation of peace clubs in schools and monthly outreach program to debate on dangers of radicalization and supporting school guidance and counseling departments and linking them with network of IMAMs. Support exchange program for cross learning.

Strengthening the Capacity of Religious Leaders on CVE approaches: This mainly focuses on the roles of religious leaders as partners in preventing/ Countering Violence Extremism.

Collaboration with Security actors: Enhancing partnership between law enforcement and communities and increasing community participation in deterring terrorist operating in their localities through; joint discussion forums to build trust and change perception on security agencies as adversaries but rather as partners in security, developing police /community connections/engage with communities and monitoring to ensure that counter terrorism activities adhere to the rule of law and that police act within their mandates that includes mechanism for accountability ,oversight and review to protect society from the inadvertent erosion of civil liberties.

Governance

Citizen awareness on the new devolved structures and avenues of representation increased: Support county level civic education on the devolved government and representation structures including targeting women, youth, PWDs and minorities; Support community understanding of voter education on the new voting systems and processes.

Citizen Engagement in the development and implementation of the policy and legislative frameworks, setting up new devolved structures facilitated including engagement of Women, youth, PWDs and Minorities: Facilitate training of citizens (including Women, youth, PWDs and Minorities) on Policy and legislative development process; Facilitate citizen engagement in the development and implementation of policies and legislations relating to devolved structures, including women, youth, PWDs and Minorities; Support citizen engagement in the development of policies on setting up of the devolved government structures and systems

Accountability and Transparency in the Management of devolved government structures Promoted: Support formation of County Citizen Oversight Committees; Support periodic citizen accountability for a; Organize learning platforms on devolution; Strengthen the capacity of citizens in the county to do monitoring and advocacy at the county level; Support development and utilization of county citizen scorecards.

Engagement with national process/institutions involved in the devolved government reforms facilitated: Liaise with the line ministries working with the devolved governments; Create and Maintained a community of practice platform on devolution; Engage with national networks on devolution i.e. Civil society Reference groups