During the first school break of the year, our youth participated in a multi-day workshop facilitated by Stephen Muasya of Daraja Academy about conflict, gender-based violence and leadership. Employing a variety of activities and small group discussions, the students immersed themselves in discussing the source of conflict and the short and long term implications of how conflict is generally managed today.

Conflict is common in Samburu, unfortunately. Conflict between tribes has persisted for hundreds of years, often in a context of livestock ownership and raiding. In addition, a traditional perspective by men in Samburu toward women has been one rooted in seeing women as property; only within the past 1-2 generations has a value on gender equity really taken hold.

We envision our students as individuals who not only contribute to emerging social norms about how Samburu think about conflict, tribal tension and gender, but who are at the forefront of creating solutions. Through communication and listening skills, innovative thinking and the courage and confidence that comes with education, we see our students in positions of leadership and social change, and our recent workshop is one of the incremental steps in making that vision come to fruition!