Peace building and rehabilitation of livelihood and shelter for Post Election Violence (PEV) Victims in neighbouring Sotik and Borabu districts.

ACORD in partnership with Cereal Growers Association (CGA) launched the above project in Sotik on Tuesday 1st July 2008.

The main goal was to contribute to communities and other actors' efforts towards the agenda of peaceful cohabitation through supporting the process of translating the National Peace Accord secured and signed under the Dr Koffi Annan led mediation team, into reality at the community level.

To achieve the above, the initiative is assisting targeted communities affected by PEV to go through a dialogue process and contemplate community social contracts in peaceful cohabitation. Furthermore community members are involved in peace projects (namely, farming activities where seeds are provided, helping each other to reconstruct burnt and destroyed houses among other projects) meant to seal their commitment to let peace prevail and prevent future violence within their midst. We believe that "people are the primary actors in their own survival and development" and also in making peace. Therefore, selected community members are involved in strengthening their capacity in peace building, using the community social contract model and engaging in facilitation of community dialogue in their own villages; thus playing their part of mediation .

The initiative is being implemented in the North Rift in Western Kenya, specifically in two neighbouring districts of Sotik and Borabu (about 320 km from Nairobi). These are two districts that were seriously affected by the post election violence. There are two major communities, namely, Kipsigis who mostly live in Sotik, and Kisii who are mostly found in Borabu. These two communities have always experienced cattle rustling leading to some recurrent skirmishes which ended without major damage. The violence and destruction that happened after the announcement of the presidential elections results in December 2007 is believed to have been politically motivated. The effects have been two communities divided along tribal lines and the thorny issue of land.

Make a donation now for the post-election violence victims in Western Kenya , thanks for your support to the most marginalised! For more information on this project contact us at info@acordinternational.org or dial+254202721185/6: Fax+ 254202721166