Children Peace Initiative Kenya (CPIK) resolves conflicts between pastoral communities by working with children. This project will organize a peace camp for 250 children from 6 villages on both sides of a long-running conflict between the Turkana and Samburu tribes, and replace animosity and fear with friendship. After attending the camp, the children will become ambassadors of peace in their communities, reverse decades of violence and open the way to economic collaboration and development.
Decades of violence in the region of Baragoi has led to cattle theft, community displacement, and deaths. The conflict has also affected the daily lives of families and traumatized children. During CPIK's mobilization efforts, children have even said that they could recognize combatants from the sound of their gunfire and broken into tears when recounting such events. Despite the persistence of fear and animosity, the desire for peace on both sides has never been stronger.
By helping just one child attend the Peace Camp and Exchange Program your support will have an immense impact, both immediately for the child and for the future of these communities. In the short run, the children are given healthy meals and the opportunity to form collaborative relationships and friendships with their Samburu and Turkana peers. In the long run, CPIK has found that friendships formed in these programs bring families together to resolve conflicts and dissuade violence and raids.
CPIK's work in northern Kenya has been lauded for its spectacular successes. Based on these results, we can predict that deaths from inter-ethnic violence will decrease in Baragoi. After seeing inter-ethnic friendships develop between their children, families and elders will take the lead in rejecting violence and raids. Looking further ahead, we hope that this new inter-ethnic cooperation will offer a way out of poverty for entire communities and enable local economies to rebuild.
