Wambui, Peacenet Kenya Youth Organizer, Seeks Support and Contacts

[Guest guest]

It is a great pleasure to introduce you to Wambui Kung'u, Peace Camel Caravan organizer, country organizer for the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF), and now chair of Peacenet Kenya youth initiatives. She is at wambui@... and rachel.kungu@....

She is undertaking to go to Eldoret for talks with youth there, and to concentrate the peace activities usually undertaken by the Caravan each year on outreach to youth and on peace-building initiatives, in the wake of the tragic post-election events.

Please read more about her activities below, and where she thinks those on the ground might coordinate their activities. Hope all of us working on like-minded initiatives can link up in some way, and in the meantime and always, may we walk a mile for a peace camel )! Janet (Feldman, kaippg@...)

Hello Friends,

I would like to introduce myself: I am Wambui Kungu, a peace worker living in Kangemi Slum District, Nairobi. On the family level, I work as a family violence monitor, and at the community level with activities in Kangemi. On the national level, I do peacework through the Peace Camel Caravan. This annual event starts in Kangemi and moves out to villages, towns, and cities, with a cultural presentation put together by youth from the slums.

At each new stop the Caravan brings people together from Kenya's many ethnic groups, to discuss issues of common interest through the medium of cultural exchange. I have a special focus on youth and children's art.

At the present time, I would like to go to Eldoret and the surrounding region as soon as possible to initiate a youth peace campaign. Eldoret is in one of the areas where ethnic friction has flared up (where many people fleeing violence were burned inside a church). I am hoping to get a ride in an emergency relief vehicle, as the public transportation is very unsafe at this time.

I would really appreciate networking with anyone interested, and hope people will join the youth peace initiative being held at Peacenet Kenya, of which am appointed as the chair, to forward information of immediate peace activity proposal which could stop the violence in their respective areas of operation.

This is my plan:

1. Meet with the youth I met and worked with during the Peace Camel Caravan last year. It is from there then we can combine the youth with other youths with strong focus on peace from different communities for the campaign.

2. Talk to other youths individually to have numbers for a peaceful campaign and advocacy.

3. Organize creative art with children on the situation and what they see and what they think about it and what they would like to see. From the drawing we shall be able to have a picture of what is going through childrens' minds and thus plan the area of intervention.

4. We shall have a Peace Caravan, drawing participants from all the trip to show that we can live together.

5. I shall have a talk with women to encourage their husbands and sons to ask for justice in an active non-violent way. Don't look for justice when you can injustice to others.

At the moment that is my area of intervention. I have issued statements to youth through the media and been on a live talk show, but that is not enough, I wish to be part of the community, the better to intervene regarding peaceful approaches to the election issues and other challenges.

I estimate that I will need 60,000 Kenya Shillings ($1,000 Cdn) for the trip, including upkeep, logistics and art materials. Note: so far, has raised about $600.

Are there any organizations or individuals who can help with this at very short notice??

Once I am in Eldoret I will be able to assess the situation and start workng on the real peace campaign at the beginning of February. This year's Peace Caravan, planned for April (for which we already have some support), may change its focus to accommodate events on the ground as they unfold.

I am working with friends and colleagues in Kenya on this project, and also two friends based in Canada and the USA. Please feel free to contact any and/or all of us if interested! Thanks so much!

Yours sincerely,

Wambui Kungu

Nairobi, Kenya

rachel.kungu@...

wambui@...

www.peace-caravan.org

Stubington

Enderby, British Columbia, Canada

cathys@...

Janet Feldman

ActALIVE and KAIPPG International

Rhode Island, USA

kaippg@...

www.actalive.org, www.kaippg.org

[Guest guest]

It is a great pleasure to introduce you to Wambui Kung'u, Peace Camel Caravan organizer, country organizer for the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF), and now chair of Peacenet Kenya youth initiatives. She is at wambui@... and rachel.kungu@....

She is undertaking to go to Eldoret for talks with youth there, and to concentrate the peace activities usually undertaken by the Caravan each year on outreach to youth and on peace-building initiatives, in the wake of the tragic post-election events.

Please read more about her activities below, and where she thinks those on the ground might coordinate their activities. Hope all of us working on like-minded initiatives can link up in some way, and in the meantime and always, may we walk a mile for a peace camel )! Janet (Feldman, kaippg@...)

Hello Friends,

I would like to introduce myself: I am Wambui Kungu, a peace worker living in Kangemi Slum District, Nairobi. On the family level, I work as a family violence monitor, and at the community level with activities in Kangemi. On the national level, I do peacework through the Peace Camel Caravan. This annual event starts in Kangemi and moves out to villages, towns, and cities, with a cultural presentation put together by youth from the slums.

At each new stop the Caravan brings people together from Kenya's many ethnic groups, to discuss issues of common interest through the medium of cultural exchange. I have a special focus on youth and children's art.

At the present time, I would like to go to Eldoret and the surrounding region as soon as possible to initiate a youth peace campaign. Eldoret is in one of the areas where ethnic friction has flared up (where many people fleeing violence were burned inside a church). I am hoping to get a ride in an emergency relief vehicle, as the public transportation is very unsafe at this time.

I would really appreciate networking with anyone interested, and hope people will join the youth peace initiative being held at Peacenet Kenya, of which am appointed as the chair, to forward information of immediate peace activity proposal which could stop the violence in their respective areas of operation.

This is my plan:

1. Meet with the youth I met and worked with during the Peace Camel Caravan last year. It is from there then we can combine the youth with other youths with strong focus on peace from different communities for the campaign.

2. Talk to other youths individually to have numbers for a peaceful campaign and advocacy.

3. Organize creative art with children on the situation and what they see and what they think about it and what they would like to see. From the drawing we shall be able to have a picture of what is going through childrens' minds and thus plan the area of intervention.

4. We shall have a Peace Caravan, drawing participants from all the trip to show that we can live together.

5. I shall have a talk with women to encourage their husbands and sons to ask for justice in an active non-violent way. Don't look for justice when you can injustice to others.

At the moment that is my area of intervention. I have issued statements to youth through the media and been on a live talk show, but that is not enough, I wish to be part of the community, the better to intervene regarding peaceful approaches to the election issues and other challenges.

I estimate that I will need 60,000 Kenya Shillings ($1,000 Cdn) for the trip, including upkeep, logistics and art materials. Note: so far, has raised about $600.

Are there any organizations or individuals who can help with this at very short notice??

Once I am in Eldoret I will be able to assess the situation and start workng on the real peace campaign at the beginning of February. This year's Peace Caravan, planned for April (for which we already have some support), may change its focus to accommodate events on the ground as they unfold.

I am working with friends and colleagues in Kenya on this project, and also two friends based in Canada and the USA. Please feel free to contact any and/or all of us if interested! Thanks so much!

Yours sincerely,

Wambui Kungu

Nairobi, Kenya

rachel.kungu@...

wambui@...

www.peace-caravan.org

Stubington

Enderby, British Columbia, Canada

cathys@...

Janet Feldman

ActALIVE and KAIPPG International

Rhode Island, USA

kaippg@...

www.actalive.org, www.kaippg.org