Kenya: appeal for project building peace through education

Fr Steven Ochieng, a priest from Kenya was in London recently to describe a radical new project that his mission has begun, in order to bring together the children from warring tribes, in a boarding school, where they will live, learn and play together together.

The St Paul's Missionary Community has been developing water, health, agricultural, fishing and other community projects in northwest Kenya for several years, among the nomadic people of the Turkana desert.

But just before Easter in 2011, there was a sudden outbreak of inter-tribal violence. Fr Steven and his colleagues had the sad job of collecting the bodies of 31 people who had been killed in a sudden outbreak of inter-tribal gun violence. Several more people were injured and the missionary compound was inundated with more than 1,200 men, women and children who had fled their village for fear of further attacks.

The clashes between the Turkana and Dassanech people were caused by increasing competition for scarce resources: pasture, water and fish. When the dry season comes, most of the Turkana in the area have to get close to the Omo River Delta.

Insecurity now prevents people from carrying out other activities, such as herding, fishing, trading, learning etc. It also hinders investment and any kind of development, stealing people’s future as they end up trapped in a spiral of marginalization and violence from where they do not seem to find the way out.

Fr Steven Ochieng, parish priest in Todonyang, (which is twinned with Holy Apostles, Pimlico, central London) says the mission is looking at ways of building peace and co-operation between the communities. They have organised symposiums between the elders of both tribes. They have now set up a boarding school for children from both the Turkana and Dassanech tribes.

"If the children live and grow up together, they will no longer see each other strangers. We believe co-education of children from the different tribes will help the communities to grow together" Fr Steven said.

New Ways, a charity which funds the mission, has now set up a special fund to provide educational resources and facilities for the school. They have begun with 24 children but hope to take on more in future.

If you would like to make a donation to this project, please go to: http://mydonate.bt.com/events/todonyangeducation/96099

Kay Douglas,
Wimbledon