Peace Building and Governance
There are quite several challenges faced by the communities living in ASAL area that include population pressure, shrinking natural resource base, increased cattle raiding incidents and communal conflicts. Peace Building revolves around developing social capital and political relations across ethnic, religious, national and racial boundaries. This process includes violence prevention, conflict management, resolution or transformation in line with this. The links between peace building (security and justice) with state building (good governance and responsive provision of basic services), with economic development (opportunity and partnership), is essential in ensuring that peace and prosperity of communities in northern Kenya is attained.
SND remains committed to the survival and peaceful integration of pastoralist communities and will work with them to develop and implement effective sustainable development programs that respect their values and cultures. SND aims to implement the program focusing on advancing peace within communities, youth development, fostering non-violence extremism and social reconciliation and integrating Tran’s boundary common issues with Southern Ethiopia.
Peace Building and Conflict Resolution
- 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