August
6-8, 2007 Nairobi Training
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The training was conducted at the new Peace
Center attached to the Friends Church on Ngong Road, Nairobi.
To our knowledge this was the first meeting and official money maker for
the center as the local group paid Sh 1000 for use of the meeting room.
The group consisted of 25 people , most of whom were refugees from
Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo. Their needs were quite different from the
other groups I'd been with, as their lives were much less stable. They
are looking for places to emigrate to and settle. Their incomes are very
small by local standards and they are often vicitimized by their hosts.
The police come and search their premises, harrass them and they have no
recourse. The temptation to ask for assistance of any kind is
overwhelming and difficult to refuse.
There were people of many levels of education and experience among the
group. Participation and questions were intense. I taught the course in
English and it was translated to Swahili. We followed fairly much the
plan of the other courses. Develop a list of the participants' questions
and specific needs, review some of their cases that they had already
done, and review process and talk about some practical applications.
Though not as active as some of the other groups , the cases were
similar. They had done a total of 12 cases that they could name at the
time of the training.
The need to find examples and cases to mediate was stated in the
training. However this may be more of a challenge as they will have very
little institutional support from the Kenyan authorities. Mediation will
probably be mainly within the refugee community.
They too have planned additional meetings to share their experiences with
each other. The instability of the community may make mediation more
difficult to cultivate. No one wants to stay there permanently.
This wraps up the courses and training on this journey.
They were as follows:
Kigali 1 day with students from Ecole Libre de Kigali 25 participants
Gisenyi 2 day AVP from Friends Church 20 participants
Goma 2 day mediation from Friends Church/ and other 23 participants
Kigali 3 day mediation from Friends church/ and other 18 participants
Bujumbura 2 day mediation from Friends church 15 participants
Kakamega 2 day mediation from Friends/ and other 8 participants
Nairobi 3 day mediation from Friends/and other 25 participants
15 days training 134 participants
8 days on buses
To all who contributed to this journey with their kind words and
financial support, I wish to thank you so much. And to all the people who
supported me on the ground in Africa
and to those who participated in the trainings I wish you all receive
back what you have given to me a hundred times over.
George
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Report on Kakamega/Lubao Training
I arrived from Kampala on Tuesday July 31 expecting to begin a three day
training on the following day. However I hadn't been expected until Aug. 15
or 16. Nevertheless, I was warmly received and Getry and Janet began making
phone calls to see who might be available on my dates. We ended up with
eight participants including an American intern, Anna Cimino joining us.
The course was cut down to two days to meet my schedule to be in Nairobi.
I was impressed with the ability of the those who attended to run a
mediation, to question and participate in a very intensive session. One
participant in particular, Margaret Wanyonyi , is working as a paralegal
and has been doing conflict resolution for a number of years. I think the
process may be very directive as is the case with a number of others I have
met along the way. However I tried to state the importance of letting the
parties try to decide what is best for them.
We did the course at the new Peace Center at Lubao. It was very pleasant to
be away from a city for a change.
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Itinerary
George's
Route
Archive
Aug 21, 2007
Aug 16, 2007
Aug 14, 2007
Aug 12-13, 2007
Aug 10, 2007
Aug 6-8, 2007
Aug 5, 2007
Aug 1, 2007
July 30, 2007
July 29, 2007
July 23-25, 2007
July 24, 2007
July 22, 2007
July 20, 2007
July 15-17, 2007
July 12-13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 12, 2007
July 8, 2007
June 30, 2007
June 12, 2007
June 11, 2007
Mediation Classes
and Case Studies
Nairobi
Kakamega/Lubao
Bujumbura, Rwanda
Kigali, Rwanda
Goma, Congo
Photos
1960's Africa
Germany
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