After an initial conversation we agreed I would give Caritas some support in seeking external funders for their various services, examining unsuccessful proposals, suggesting ways of strengthening them, using the internet to source funding opportunities and so on. The job started that day as we made some visits to their HIV/AIDS support service, a local general hospital and an orthopaedic workshop which supports the Small Homes Department. Small Homes oversees twelve residential homes and schools for physical and intellectual disabilities.
I drive the 45min journey into the Diocesan offices in Eldoret twice a week where I've been given a desk in the Peace and Justice office. I work from home in Iten using a laptop and modem two other days. Friday is...eh....spent handwashing....oh alright, I'll own up.
Like Credit Unions....only better
The SILC (Savings and Internal Lending Communities) coordinator, Isaac Mukenya brought Kieran and I with him one day when he was visiting groups in small towns outside Eldoret. The groups are fascinating to observe as they encapsulate many of the community values of Kenya. There are usually 25 members in each and people are grouped according to their capacity to save and borrow. One group might save KES500 (€4.25) a week, others KES1,000.
The majority of members are women involved in small businesses, selling vegetables, chips or roasted maize on the street or who have hairdressing salons. Another popular business is selling second hand clothes. Iten has a market every Saturday where you can get good quality dresses, jackets, shirts and jeans for about a euro or two per piece of clothing. Huge containers of clothes from Europe and the United States land at Mombasa from where they are distributed. People specialise, trading in children's or men's or women's clothes. It is not unusual to see a woman walking to work in a bridemaid's dress or tending cows in a business suit. Flouncy, shiny dresses are de rigueur for girls going to Church on Sunday but I haven't yet been able to persuade Siobhra to get one. |
There is a mandatory social welfare fund, with members contributing around KES25 a week. This money can be borrowed by members - interest free - for social reasons like transport to a funeral, hospital expenses or school fees. The members can also decide to make a non repayable grant to an ill member who cannot generate income, or who might have other difficulties.Only members can introduce a new member to the group and thus they are family, friends and neighbours living and working closely together. There are no secrets in relation to their finances or personal circumstances and consequently the wider programme reports a very low level of bad debt. The group elects a chair, treasurer and secretary, people in the group who are trusted. The groups also have technical support from a PSP (Private Service Provider) whom they pay thus making the model sustainable. The initial training of PSPs is undertaken by SILC which is also currently involved in rolling out a pilot enhancement scheme using smartphones for recording transactions and keeping a tally of the money. The funder is the US Aid Agency, Catholic Relief Services, and the pilot scheme is being evaluated by the Economics Dept in Trinity College Dublin, my alma mater. I met the evaluators one day when they visited the Diocesan offices in Eldoret. Yes, we Irish are everywhere!
This programme seems a great addition to the communities and the model is particularly interesting to me given the disaster which befell Newbridge Credit Union last year. My Dad was one of two remaining founder members of NCU before he passed away in July this year. Before the collapse of NCU we would discuss what was happening but because of the lack of transparency with loan transactions, no-one really knew. You can't help but reflect back on when financial transactions were simpler and more open. Dad told us the first loan made in NCU was for a bicycle - a local man had got a job on the bog and needed transport, a loan which resonates with how SILC operates now.
Peace in the Valley
Although much of my work with Caritas Eldoret has been sitting at a computer, I was also very lucky to be part of their most recent peace building process. Bishop Korir and the Eldoret Peace & Justice Office had been negotiating with three tribes in conflict in Baringo county over the past few months, the Tugen, Ilchamus and Pokot. The first day I tagged along we went to a meeting to listen to the issues of the Tugen and Ilchamus at a community hall in Marigat, a rural semi arid area beyond the Kerio valley. They had previously had a separate meeting with the Pokot. On the way through the valley to the meeting, we stopped off at the County's Deputy Governor's office in Kabernet to drink tea, tell him about the process and persuade him to accompany the bishop to the meeting that day. There was much pomp and ceremony and as a Mzungu, I was given a prominent seat beside the bishop. Sitting in the fancy office, I kept getting distracted by the large flat screen TV left on with the sound turned up showing Nigerian soaps as Bishop Korir explained progress to date.
Much of the conflict between the three tribes has to do with lack of services and resources on the border between the counties of Baringo and West Pokot. The impact is that cattle get stolen and lives are lost - over 100 people have been killed in the conflict in the past 12 months. The many guns owned by the young 'warriors' who are mostly unemployed and without prospects make it a very serious issue for the community. Sometimes the conflict arises because the pastoralist Pokot need to find land to graze their cattle, they encroach on other tribal lands and there is a dispute about boundaries. Often the maps can be faulty or maps have been redrawn and no-one quite knows where the boundaries are.
The Diocese has previously been successful in negotiating a peace process between the Marakwet and the Pokot with calm being restored when there was a focus on developing livelihoods rather than trying to sort the actual border issues. This included introducing high yielding dairy cows which meant the same milk yield could be achieved with a lower number of cows, thus requiring a smaller amount of grazing. Zero grazing methods are also very popular in Kenya, using shredded maize stalks as feed. This particular peace process included building three milk cooling plants at strategic points and negotiating a lucrative contract with Brookside Dairies. The three plants were located in three different tribal areas and the managers appointed were not of that tribe. Another strategy has been to establish schools which enrol children from the three tribes thus fostering understanding and good relations.
Although the position of women and girls in Kenya is often quite dire, particularly in rural areas, I have been pleased to see some genuine focus on ensuring inclusion of women in the talks. At several meetings I've been at, women have been positively encouraged to participate. On at least two occasions, Bishop Korir asked for female participation when the men seemed to be hogging the show. The women just needed to be asked, once they got going, they were very passionate and articulate about the peace issues.
There is serious positive gender discrimination in Kenya with the groundbreaking 2010 Constitution stating that no more than two-thirds of members of any public body should be of the same gender. Implementation is another issue however, like many things here. Political representation of women in Kenya stands at 19%, far behind many of its East African neighbours who have twice that number, for instance Tanzania has 36% female representation.
Ireland currently stands at 16% and even at that we have to listen to some men whinging about the new rule for the next general election - each political party will have to field at least 30% female candidates or they don't get election expenses. I've no doubt there are a few smoke-filled golf club conversations (metaphorically speaking) ruminating on whether the party could forego the money.
Two weeks ago I went to Marigat with the Bishop again, this time to seal the peace deal. The three tribes were present at this meeting, almost 100 people, made up of community activists and elders. The process was slow and painstaking, with everyone given a chance to speak and no-one hurried along. We had stopped off at the County Offices in Kabernet again and this time we met with the Governor, bigger plusher office, larger flat screen TV although with the same Nigerian soaps left on in the corner. Amid much taking of photographs the Governor agreed to accompany us to the meeting and also to ensure the Police Chief and District Commissioner came along.
It was important for the community they had a chance to question the Governor and other heads of county organisations about their performance in relation to policing the conflict and provision of services in the border areas. The men stood up and answered the questions put to them about their failure to assist peace building. I recalled a presentation I once made to the toothless Newbridge Town Council with the 'Where's Our Cinema' group - not quite an issue of national security. When I put a question to the Council I was promptly reprimanded and told the procedure was we made the presentation but there was to be no questioning of the elected representatives. Presentations made to the elected representatives in Kildare County Council about sensitive issues such as Kilcullen's community playground and the Gaelscoil's carpark followed a similar format.
Given the high stakes of the peace process I felt part of an historic moment listening to the three tribes agreeing a way forward and then witnessing their elders signing the agreement immediately. They undertook to provide leadership encouraging young people not to steal or be violent and to use a process of engaging with each other to resolve conflict if issues arose. Of course it was only the start as developing livelihoods for the communities is seen as a key part of the process. Unless the young people have a way to feed themselves and their families there would always be difficulties between the communities as they struggled to survive.
Samuel Kosgei, the Caritas Eldoret Peace & Justice Officer told me a story one day about a particular cattle rustling incident. During a peace process between two tribes, overseen by Bishop Korir, word came through of 50 cattle having been stolen. The relevant elders negotiated with the perpetrators and got agreement the cattle would be returned. A cattle truck was sent to rescue the rustled animals which were being loaded up when a local MCA (Member of County Assembly) arrived and ordered the cattle to be offloaded. A standoff ensued with the Bishop having to call in his contacts at senior police level. The offending MCA was arrested and had to be brought to a police station in Nakuru outside his sphere of influence. It softened his cough apparently and he had to undertake to desist from such behaviour for at least two years. The cattle were returned to their owners. Thus the focus on ensuring County structures were part of the solution.
Going out into the field witnessing the work of Caritas Eldoret has focused my efforts writing grant applications and reflecting on how the organisation can develop its capacity to support activity at the grassroots. I have written a proposal which I pitched to two organisations in Nairobi seeking funds to develop the technical and organisational infrastructure of Caritas Eldoret. Although the work is being done on the ground, without organisational infrastructure like annual reports, rigorous performance assessment, websites and up-to-date IT, funding organisations are likely to be wary. While the lead-in time for such proposals can be quite long I am hoping for a little success prior to our departure at the end of November. With a little luck I will leave something more than the kids college fund which is financing our living costs for five months!
Peace in the Valley
Much of the conflict between the three tribes has to do with lack of services and resources on the border between the counties of Baringo and West Pokot. The impact is that cattle get stolen and lives are lost - over 100 people have been killed in the conflict in the past 12 months. The many guns owned by the young 'warriors' who are mostly unemployed and without prospects make it a very serious issue for the community. Sometimes the conflict arises because the pastoralist Pokot need to find land to graze their cattle, they encroach on other tribal lands and there is a dispute about boundaries. Often the maps can be faulty or maps have been redrawn and no-one quite knows where the boundaries are.
Although the position of women and girls in Kenya is often quite dire, particularly in rural areas, I have been pleased to see some genuine focus on ensuring inclusion of women in the talks. At several meetings I've been at, women have been positively encouraged to participate. On at least two occasions, Bishop Korir asked for female participation when the men seemed to be hogging the show. The women just needed to be asked, once they got going, they were very passionate and articulate about the peace issues. There is serious positive gender discrimination in Kenya with the groundbreaking 2010 Constitution stating that no more than two-thirds of members of any public body should be of the same gender. Implementation is another issue however, like many things here. Political representation of women in Kenya stands at 19%, far behind many of its East African neighbours who have twice that number, for instance Tanzania has 36% female representation.
Ireland currently stands at 16% and even at that we have to listen to some men whinging about the new rule for the next general election - each political party will have to field at least 30% female candidates or they don't get election expenses. I've no doubt there are a few smoke-filled golf club conversations (metaphorically speaking) ruminating on whether the party could forego the money.
Two weeks ago I went to Marigat with the Bishop again, this time to seal the peace deal. The three tribes were present at this meeting, almost 100 people, made up of community activists and elders. The process was slow and painstaking, with everyone given a chance to speak and no-one hurried along. We had stopped off at the County Offices in Kabernet again and this time we met with the Governor, bigger plusher office, larger flat screen TV although with the same Nigerian soaps left on in the corner. Amid much taking of photographs the Governor agreed to accompany us to the meeting and also to ensure the Police Chief and District Commissioner came along.
It was important for the community they had a chance to question the Governor and other heads of county organisations about their performance in relation to policing the conflict and provision of services in the border areas. The men stood up and answered the questions put to them about their failure to assist peace building. I recalled a presentation I once made to the toothless Newbridge Town Council with the 'Where's Our Cinema' group - not quite an issue of national security. When I put a question to the Council I was promptly reprimanded and told the procedure was we made the presentation but there was to be no questioning of the elected representatives. Presentations made to the elected representatives in Kildare County Council about sensitive issues such as Kilcullen's community playground and the Gaelscoil's carpark followed a similar format.
Samuel Kosgei, the Caritas Eldoret Peace & Justice Officer told me a story one day about a particular cattle rustling incident. During a peace process between two tribes, overseen by Bishop Korir, word came through of 50 cattle having been stolen. The relevant elders negotiated with the perpetrators and got agreement the cattle would be returned. A cattle truck was sent to rescue the rustled animals which were being loaded up when a local MCA (Member of County Assembly) arrived and ordered the cattle to be offloaded. A standoff ensued with the Bishop having to call in his contacts at senior police level. The offending MCA was arrested and had to be brought to a police station in Nakuru outside his sphere of influence. It softened his cough apparently and he had to undertake to desist from such behaviour for at least two years. The cattle were returned to their owners. Thus the focus on ensuring County structures were part of the solution.
Going out into the field witnessing the work of Caritas Eldoret has focused my efforts writing grant applications and reflecting on how the organisation can develop its capacity to support activity at the grassroots. I have written a proposal which I pitched to two organisations in Nairobi seeking funds to develop the technical and organisational infrastructure of Caritas Eldoret. Although the work is being done on the ground, without organisational infrastructure like annual reports, rigorous performance assessment, websites and up-to-date IT, funding organisations are likely to be wary. While the lead-in time for such proposals can be quite long I am hoping for a little success prior to our departure at the end of November. With a little luck I will leave something more than the kids college fund which is financing our living costs for five months!
