“Friendships for a Peaceful Future” with Jane and Monica Kinyua
Jane and Monica Kinyua
Jane and Monica Kinyua are Program Manager and Deputy Director for Children’s Peace Initiative Kenya (CPI) in Nairobi, Kenya.
I met Jane at the Mediators Beyond Borders International Peace Congress, and was able to connect with the Kinyua sisters about overcoming the history of conflict that shadow Kenya. Through their life work at CPI, they are able to guide the next generation to bridge communities that have been in conflict for many years.
The Children's Peace Initiative, works with children from different communities and ethnic groups in Kenya and builds lasting friendships between them.
These friendships then create opportunities for building connections between their parents and larger communities. There's a magic in working with Children who don't understand why they have inherited generational divisions and don't see why they are expected to hate one another.
We reflect on the unique capacity of children to easily build bridges across ethnic differences. And we consider the importance of the role of children as they impact people of all ages and roles in the community.
In this episode we get inspired by the possibility for the work they are doing in Kenya to be applied to divided communities in the United States and the rest of the world. And we put this in context by talking about the history of Kenya and how conflicts from the past continue to affect people today
Children Peace Initiative
Children Peace Initiative Kenya (CPI Kenya) is a civil society initiative that specializes in conflict resolution and peace building in Kenya.
“Our overall goal is to expose the children to each other, to give them an opportunity to interact and to make friends.”
You can find out more about Jane and Monica Kinyua's work with the Children's Peace Initiative Kenya (CPI) here: cpikenya.org
Here is a Documentary about Children's Peace Initiative Kenya.
Connect with CPI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Friendshipforpeace
Follow CPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cpi_kenya/
Friendship for Peace Program (A CPI Project)
“Our overall goal is to expose the children to each other, to give them an opportunity to interact and to make friends.
We are working to create a new kind of we.”
CPI works develop inter-community friendships as an entry point to resolve differences and to unite communities..
CPI runs Children Peace Camps, which are the foundation of their friendship for peace building programs. Here's how they work:
Select schools that are separated by tribes/ethnic groups (a couple children for each group from the different schools)
Take them through activities to break the ice and feel comfortable. And then do exercises to build confidence and relationships so they realize they need each other.
Connect children others from different ethnic groups from the very beginning.
Practice activities to promote bonding and creativity.
Once friendships between children are established they have them introduce their parents to each other.
Other Resources
Here are links for some of the things we discuss in the episode:
The United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 are a comprehensive map for the future of our world. They were developed as part of a worldwide collaborative process.
You can learn more about them in this video: https://youtu.be/0XTBYMfZyrM
Wangari Maathai
Founder of the Green Belt Movement; she was a renowned Kenyan social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Prize
She tells an inspiring tale of doing the best you can under seemingly interminable odds, “I Will Be a Hummingbird"
A Tiny Seed: The Story of Wangari Maathai
Learn more about Kenya:
We talk a lot about the history of Kenya and the current Ethnic diversity of the country. Here are some good resources to learn about the tribes of Kenya. And the history of the country.
Here is a map of the ethnic distribution of the country.
And to put it in perspective, here is a map of the incredible ethnic diversity of Africa as a whole.
Music
These songs are sources of inspiration for Jane and Monica in their work.
“Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston
Jane and Monica are very inspired by this song and the lyrics below:
"I believe the children are our are future.
Teach them well and let them lead the way.
Show them all the beauty they possess inside.
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier.
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be."