‘I have always been the first to run towards where there is chaos and violence. I will now be thinking first before running to join chaos and violence’ said one lady who was one of the 12 women from the 13 villages of Kibera slums who participated in a Creators of Peace Circles (CoPC) workshop, 7-9 September, 2011.    

Kibera Slum is the largest slum in Africa with a population of over 750,000 people drawn from a wide multi- ethnic mix.  Politically instigated violence usually takes an ethnic dimension; the post-election violence in 2007/2008 being no exception left hundreds dead, displaced, property and infrastructure destroyed and communities filled with fear, mistrust and pain along ethnic lines. It is against this background that an invitation to run Peace Circles workshop with some of the women community leaders was mooted and deemed key to foster community healing and peaceful co-existence. . 

‘I used to think that peace was all about ODM and PNU (political parties). I have learnt what peace is.’ shared one lady. For some of the women it was a moment of recollecting themselves ‘I have known where I have been going wrong and I will change.’ shared another.

Many of them left with the wish and will to pass on what they had taken with their community and also requested for Peace Circles to be taken in the different villages of Kibera. ‘I feel like my eyes have been opened. I go back as an ambassador of peace to my village. Please bring CoPC to my village. I wish women in my village can get what I have gotten.’ said another one. 

It was encouraging that the participants felt the uniqueness of the Creators of Peace Circles workshop in comparison with very many other peace workshops they had attended. ‘I have gone to many seminars, but this one has outdone all of them.’ said one woman. Ayoung Muslim lady, who plans to vie for the Member of Parliament seat for Langata Constituency ( Kibera is in Langata),   in  2012, and is part of the peace committee in Kibera said the workshop was very unique and very different. ‘I have liked the ‘inner peace’ a lot. I have realised before doing something, I must look into myself first.’she said. 

After the three days in Kibera, the three facilitators of the workshop, Nelly Njoki, Winnie Isika and Ann Njeri left happy with the knowledge that the message of ‘Peace starts with me wherever I am’ had reached home. There was also an invitation to run a peace workshop for the young people in Kibera.