SIsi ni Amani (We are Peace)

        Two weeks ago I began my internship at Sisi ni Amani (We are Peace in Kiswahili) and it has completely and absolutely consumed me.  If I did not already have a plane ticket home, I would be making plans to stay in Kenya for as long as possible to continue my work with Sisi ni Amani, so I would like to share a bit of my experiences with you all (since I probably won’t be able to stop talking about it when I get home).

            Sisi ni Amani developed in response to the post election violence in 2007-2008.  After the violence occurred, Kenya was a magnet for peace and community groups all working together to try to bring stability and peace to the region and strengthen societal ties in order to prevent something similar from happening in 2012.  Sisi ni Amani formed to deal with the issue of disjointedness between all of these communities- so many groups were mobilizing but there was no connection between them which often created disorder and chaos.  Sisi ni Amani is using new SMS technology to link members within a group to each other as well as linking the groups as a whole utilizing local leadership structures that are already in place to create a reliable and expansive network dedicated towards peace and community empowerment.

            As an intern, I have several responsibilities ranging from administrative work to social media to field work.   Very few of my responsibilities am I actually qualified for (I sent my first tweet last week and it was one of the most stressful things I have done!), but I am learning in leaps and bounds and absolutely love everything that I do.  One aspect of my work here is that of the administrative, day to day tasks.  I compile phone numbers (thousands of them) into our database, take notes at meetings, research funding opportunities, and am in the middle of writing a grant proposal to expand our operations into hopefully Narok and Naivasha.  This work has given me a better grasp of what it takes to run an organization and how to best go about recruiting leadership, networking, and interacting with people of different beliefs and backgrounds then my own.  In addition to administrative work, I update our various forms of social media as often as I can through facebook, blogs, and tweeting.  It is interesting how even small, frequent posts can make a difference in an organization’s reputation and how the more medias you use the better it is for your organization. After every meeting, outreach, or piece of positive news, I write a short blog post to be put on our website in addition to tweeting about it and adding a new facebook post.  In addition, I compile bios about the community groups and community leaders that we work with and add it to our website.  Besides that, I also contribute footage to videos detailing the importance of Sisi ni Amani, Peace through SMS, and the contrast between post election violence and today by interviewing various community partners.  *To those who know me, my strong suit is the farthest thing from technology so it has all been a very, veryeducating experience.  Lastly, I work on outreach with two different communities: Narok in the Rift Valley and the Korogocho and Baba Dogo slums in Nairobi.  In Narok, I have attended several meetings regarding the planning and implementation of their various outreaches and will be attending the culmination of all of this planning for two days in town this week.  Towards the end of my time here, I will attend their strategic planning session and observe the groups creating a plan for the sustainability of the program as well as their discussions on the causes of violence in Kenya.  In Korogocho and Baba Dogo, I have attended several planning meetings with our local leaders which has given me a much better sense of community dynamics and am looking forward to working with them and their outreach over the next few weeks.

            What I love about Sisi ni Amani is the fact that they utilize local partners to create change in Kenya.  The director is an American from Tufts, but she is always very adament that it is our local leaders who are in charge- not her which is a sentiment that empowers and strengthens the networks already in place at the community level.  Following this method has challenged me to listen more and check my preconceptions that I come with as an American from the Western/First World/Global North (whatever you want to call it).  There are so many issues that are impossible to understand without first meeting and interacting with the people who live here, it doesn’t surprise me how to see how ineffective large NGOs are that waltz into an area with a plan and no room for compromise.  Of all that I have learned thus far, I think one of the most lasting will be the fact that I know very little about the world and I can create the most impact first by sitting, listening, and giving my skills and talents to those who know what need to be done.