Sisi ni Amani 2010 ~ Abridged

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Sisi ni Amani is a movement of peace groups throughout Kenya that aims to maximize the impact

of the country’s grassroots forces for peace by increasing the connectivity and enhancing

community and national visibility of its members. Sisi ni Amani leverages basic mobiletechnologies to communicate vital information about local peace and conflict among Kenya’s civil

society leaders at the community level.

GEOGRAPHIES of PEACE

In Kenya’s fragile political context, the strength of

social networks and community integration is

fundamental to the maintenance of peace and the

mitigation of politically-driven conflict. The

geographies and densities of social networks vary

tremendously throughout the country, from the semi-urban pastoralist communities of western

Kenya to Nairobi’s sprawling slums. At the same time, the importance of these networks to acommunity’s ability to respond to and prevent the triggers of violence is universally paramount. In

the areas where Sisi ni Amani works, conflict is generally contained and settled within a given

geographical space, but is stimulated by tribalized politics and the perception of broader tensions

during national election periods. Our primary focus is thus on strengthening the intra-

community networks of local leaders who are progressing their communities away from

violence, in preparation for the 2012 general elections.

CONNECTIVITY & CONFLICT RESPONSE

Sisi ni Amani provides rapid and secure mobile connectivity on an SMS-based platform for an

exclusive network of civil society leaders in a given geography.

Sisi ni Amani takes a technology-aided approach to building

and strengthening human networks among Kenya’s civil

society leaders at the community level. We offer self-

identified peace groups access to a closed-loop SMS

technology that allows them to securely and rapidly transmit SMS messages to their members via

our own unique number. Currently, these messages are used to relay information to group members

for the purpose of organizing and mobilizing in the course of the groups’ regular activities, as well

as to reach out to the broader community with information about upcoming peace events.

Our technologies are central to our mission of connecting

and facilitating secure and rapid communication among our

members, but their utility is wholly dependent upon the

human bonds that sustain these self-identified networks.

The technology allows these groups to operate more economically and time-effectively than

traditional methods of organizing and marketing. Sisi ni Amani works with its member groups to

develop community-specific protocols for the secure and rapid communication of conflict early

warning sign and violence information via the same SMS platform in preparation for the 2012

elections. Our aim is to provide local peace organizations the ability to communicate accurate

information about conflict and peace efforts among themselves so that they can formulate joint

action-plans to mitigate the conflict or support the peace initiatives, and to the broader community

so that they can dispel rumors and provide accurate information about isolated acts of violence to

their constituents.

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The guiding aim of Sisi ni Amani chapters is to promote Community Conversations using all

available tools at the local level: among civil society leaders, through SMS-based reporting,

mobilization, and conflict-response, and workshops on conflict and peace in the community; for the

broader community, through subscription to SMS-based alerts and updates about local peace and

conflict, and participation in regular community fora for disscusions on the root causes of violence.

NETWORKING

Sisi ni Amani’s chapters provide a forum for mobilizing and networking peace groups and civil

society leaders within a given community.

Sisi ni Amani stimulates the creation of new community

structures for connecting all willing peace organizations

and informal peace groups in a given geographical area. It

currently has two fledging chapters in Baba Ndogo and

Korogocho slums, Nairobi, and an emerging chapter in

Narok, Rift Valley. In the future, Sisi ni Amani aims to hold national peace workshops that will bring together the leaders of its member

groups for informed conversations on conflict transformation,

forming lasting relationships based on shared experiences. Our

workshops will include peer-led capacity-building sessions, group

discussions on topics such as root causes of conflict, and the sharing

of successes and challenges in conflict prevention and response.

PUBLICITY & RESEARCH

Sisi ni Amani produces ground-breaking media about local peace activities in order to cultivate a

greater awareness and appreciation within the public for the daily successes and struggles of

Kenya’s peace heroes.

Sisi ni Amani uses a variety of media to enhance the visibility of its

members at the community and national levels, with the aim of

promoting greater general understanding of the character of peace

work being done throughout Kenya. Our website provides media

outlets with a resource for reporting positive news from otherwise

stigmatized areas of Kenya. Sisi ni Amani trains its member groups to

update and maintain group profiles on its website, which include

group descriptions, interview transcripts, and short documentaries produced by Sisi ni Amani’s

Film Team. Our interviews bring forth the stories of the youth who were directly involved in

Kenya’s 2008 post-election violence, and whose current peace-building activities represent a direct

response to what they view as the root causes of violence in their communities.

SAUTI ya MASHINANI: Grassroots Voices Towards Sustainable Peace

Looking forward to 2011, Sisi ni Amani is partnering with the Voluntary Youth Philanthropists, a

Kenyan-based NGO, to launch a peace caravan during the new year in order to expand its network

and understand the technological needs of different communities in western

Kenya. The Sauti ya Mashinani 2011 caravan is a project targeting 15 violence

prone areas of the former Rift Valley, Western, and Nyanza provinces with the

aim of researching and informing the residents of the early warning signs of

violence and creating community action plans for how to respond to them. The

project will equip civil society groups with the technological skills to relayinformation about conflict early warning signs and community tensions to the

appropriate peace and security stakeholders using Sisi ni Amani’s and VYP’s

SMS platforms.

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CONFERENCES

• Global Peace Convention 2010, held in Nairobi, Kenya, November 2010. Project Director

Rachel Brown and Project Manager Cody Valdes invited to speak; Rachel Brown presented

on panel entitled “Social Media: The New Frontier for Peace-Building.”• World Bank “Innovation Fair 2010: Moving Beyond Conflict,” held in Cape Town,

South Africa, April 2010. Sisi ni Amani Project Director and Project Manager invited and

attended as top-30 world finalists.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Empowering, Understanding, and Connecting Peace in Kenya

www.sisiniamani.org ⏐ Twitter: @sisiniamani ⏐ Facebook: www.facebook.com/sisiniamani

Rachel Brown Cody Valdes

Project Director Project Manager

[email protected] [email protected]

[email protected] [email protected]+254 7311 98946 +254 7141 32750

Documents

Sisi ni Amani 2010 ~ Abridged