PEACE BUILDING
When started: this project was initiated in 2020 by Bishop Benson Ekuwam and a team of 12 GOM ministry’s pastors from Turkana and West Pokot. Since then, the team has continued to implement the project with humble financial support that the Bishop provides. The Bishop chips into the activities with the assistance he receives from his friends and well-wishers both locally and externally.
Description: at initiation stage, the Turkana-West Pokot region where the ministry had planted 4 churches faced many inter-community conflicts and the Turkana and Pokot communities in Lorengikipi -Alale border region literally hated each other. This made evangelization work to be extremely difficult. The conflicts were manifested in rampant exchange of gun fire, cattle raids, highway ambushes and cold blood killings. In the process of our evangelization work, at least 2 to 3 lives were lost in the raids every month. The most affected groups were women, children and the elderly and persons with disabilities majorly because they weren’t armed and energetic enough to escape whenever attacks happened. In order for the church’s work to progress, the Bishop mobilized his pastors into action hence the birth of the peace building and conflict management project.
Achievements:
-Conflict has de-escalated significantly and normal intercommunity relations including;
-trade, cultural interaction and sharing of pasture and water has resumed
-Evangelization work is now possible/progressing on smoothly
-Free and secure cross border movement by vehicles and humans is now happening
-Cross border trade of livestock, miraa and food items is now a thriving business
-Boda boda transport business for the youth of the 2 communities is running smoothly
Challenges: in order for the attained peace to endure, there is need to sustain peace building in the region. Experience has shown that whenever peace building has ceased or slowed down, the communities’ youth have always returned to cattle raids and other criminal activities. The main challenges we face to take this activity forward include;
-Lack of full-time staff to implement and sustain the project’s activities. The current team is comprised of volunteers.
-Vastness of the region and difficult road terrains
-Weak logistics – we rely on the Bishop’s car to implement the project’s activities whenever he (Bishop) is ministering in the region.
-Financial constraints
-Lack of modern (positive peace) peace building expertise by the community, pastors and staff that are involved in the activities
Mission is Give for People
Some People Need Help And We Give It!
Our Goal
CDO’s main goal is to contribute towards resolution of the inherent problems that affect the poorest of the poor among them nomadic pastoralists and vulnerable and marginalized groups. These inherent problems are manifested in conflicts, poverty, and inadequate access to water, sanitation and hygiene, and a degraded environment.