Recent Projects
Justice for Peace
We are working with Kenyan partners to build trust between criminal justice actors and communities at risk of violent extremism in Coastal Kenya. Through legal information sessions, dialogue, and cultural activities, the project has increased awareness of personal rights and responsibilities, with community members gaining a new understanding of court procedures. The information exchange goes both ways, as criminal justice actors can learn about the dynamics behind violent extremism.
We seek to forge a relationship of trust, with criminal justice actors more aware of community grievances and community members more engaged in processes of justice. By deepening these ties, we can combat the violent extremism that weights on the entire community.
 Mothers for Peace Session in Garissa
Enabling Effective and Conflict-Sensitive Responses to COVID-19
With the Kenyan government imposing restrictions on gatherings to prevent COVID-19, rumors and misinformation have spread, threatening especially to weaken the relationship between the government and Muslim communities. In turn, this distrust can deepen conflict dynamics, including violent extremism.
We are working to dispel false claims and spread reliable information through radio programs. Partnering with local actors, we aim to strengthen the bond between community members and the local government.
Inuka! (“Rise!”)
Funded by the European Union, we are advancing a community-led approach to security issues, ensuring that government, security, and social workers can collaborate to keep their communities safe. Partnership is key to the project, as we work hand in hand with the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance, the Kiunga Youth Bunge Initiative, Muslims for Human Rights, and Humanity Action Knowledge Integrity in Africa.
An initial evaluation of the program shows that young people, and especially young women, now feel more comfortable expressing security-related grievances to the police. By forging trust, we can create an environment where people feel able to share concerns and work with all actors to build a secure community that benefits everyone.
Strengthening Family and Community Networks
As we have found through a social network analysis, youth at risk of radicalization overwhelmingly turn first to peers their age, whether friends or family, for information and advice, before checking with family members. The same analysis shows that friends and families are often ill-equipped to offer solutions to the grievances that lead to recruitment by extremists. Supported by the Department of State of the United States, we are equipped families and peer influencers with the knowledge and skills to serve as frontline actors able to recognize early signs of radicalization, address fears, stigma, and trauma, and devise solutions to prevent recruitment.
The project focuses on communities in Garissa,Tana River and Lamu Counties with high rates of recruitment. Through local media and social media, we are reshaping local narratives to highlight strength in diversity, coexistence across ethnicities and claims, positive youth agency, and adult role models within families and communities.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PAST PROJECTS
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