Psychological care, conflict prevention, and promotion of reconciliation through capacity-buildingin slums with deep-rooted ethnic conflicts.

Kenya is a multi-ethnic nation and had maintained a relatively stable society on the surface for half a century after independence. Large-scale riots however occurred because presidential candidates from different ethnic backgrounds disputed the results of the general election held at the end of 2007. These outbreaks embroiled ordinary citizens and resulted in the death of some 1,500 people, injury and the internal displacement of about 600,000 people.

“Mathare Slums” situated on the east of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, was one of the regions where the most violent riots erupted in 2007 and 2008. Although the violence was suppressed in 2008, reconciliation between victims and perpetratorrs has hardly proceeded. Thus pundits pointed out risks of repeat riots during the election time in March 2013. Fortunately no large uprising was confirmed but conflicts and mutual distrust among residents are still deeply ingrained. A spate of crimes and assaults caused by poverty also happen frequently. Insufficient capability of the local police to provide appropriate and prompt solution for violence has increased distrust towards the police and judiciary among residents. At the same time, minor conflicts among inhabitants may explode into a large scale disturbance. Few international NGOs, other than JCCP, have systematically conducted peace building and conflict prevention in the area. Thus cooperative and continuous efforts with local residents and officers to prevent confliction and violence are required.

This project aims at enhancing capability of inhabitants, community leaders and security sectors in Mathare Slums for three years from March 2012, gradually strengthening conflict prevention mechanism in the area.

Strengthening Networks to Prevent Conflicts

JCCP has conducted training in “mediation, reconciliation, and solution” in Mathare area. Trained local communities lead residents in slum area, and the residents drive activities aiming at enhancing the capacity of conflict prevention and problem solving, and at establishing a framework to minimize the negative consequences during an outbreak of conflict. Moreover, 14 men and women were selected from various areas as focal points. This system allows early warning.

Support for Vulnerable Groups

JCCP has been building a framework that supports the people so that they can restore their dignity and achieve social independence. Counselors selected from inhabitants (community animators) give psychosocial care, mediation efforts, and the introduction to other institutions for related services to the socially vulnerable such as crime victims and people facing the risk of crimes. “Child therapy rooms” are also prepared and community animators play a central role in giving counseling for children, crime victims and people facing the risk of crime.

Improvement of Residential Environment for Crime Prevention

JCCP has very carefully introduced programs in the most unsafe areas of Mathare Slums through assessing the safety of the residential environment from the female viewpoint, organizing female neighborhood watch, enhancing its capability, and arranging residents’ participatory events. JCCP tries to create an environment for cultivating peace-respecting minds through the provision of equipment, the building of facilities and, most importantly, the development of human resources. In collaboration with local communities, JCCP has conducted activities of clean-up, tree planting and educational events by mixed ethnic groups. Those efforts improve awareness of how to deal with and minimize the effect of crime, and to establish a peaceful society in which crimes are unlikely to happen.

 
The aims of implementing this project are reducing risks of large riots or conflicts in Kenya and preventing conflicts before they happen. Through cooperating with JCCP, local communities will learn our knowledge and skills of conflict prevention and problem solution and will be able to initiate continuation of activities after the project’s completion. Since female residents are conscious of the need to be able to protect themselves an their families, organizing patrols by themselves suits their interest. This activity is expected to spread as a role model to neighboring areas. In slum areas where inhabitants have a strong distrust towards police, we have conducted workshops about crime prevention and the law, inviting police officers or legal experts as instructors. Through those workshops residents accurately understand police services. Relationships of mutual trust and collaboration between residents, police and judicial branch will be fostered. We are anticipating that the efforts of the project have a positive impact on security and judicial sectors of the whole region.

Granted by Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)