In the beginning of January, Initiatives of Change (IofC) Kenya officially launched Clean Elections Campaign as political storms took centre stage across the country. With the elections taking place on 4 March, many people’s focus is to ensure that the general elections are held free and fair and that by every means possible to advocate for violence-free elections.

A one day journey into Jonglei State last Sunday indicated what a daunting challenge reconciliation in South Sudan will be. Nyok Gor and Mike Brown from Australia were invited to join the Vice President, Dr Riek Machar Teny, and others including the Minister of Justice and senior figures from the area, to make a flying visit to a hotspot of conflict where 108 died on 8 February.

The first four from the international team for the South Sudan Journey of Healing for National Reconciliation have now safely arrived in South Sudan. Kathyrn Gor has sent this update.

The EAYF planning committee will officially close the submissions of EAYF application forms on midnight Sunday 20th January, 2013. If you haven’t applied and still wish to do so, kindly do it before then otherwise we shall not accept the applications after then! Many thanks to those who have confirmed that they will join us in Kigali for the Youth Forum that begins in 32days.

The Workshop for Africa (WfA) programme kicks off this week with eight of the 12 participants who have been accepted. Four are still in the process of getting their visas. The group comes from Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The Chaplain to the Kenya Defence Forces, the Rt Rev Bishop Alfred Rotich, gave his advice and blessing to participants at a workshop for peace practitioners in Nakuru, Kenya. Addressing the final meeting on 23 November, he said, ‘I can see and I can feel, from your expressions and the way you are with one another, that you practise peace.’

The planning team of Eastern Africa Youth Forum (EAYF) (previously known as Eastern Africa Youth Conference-EAYC), together with the Initiatives of Change (IofC) Rwanda are pleased to invite applications to the third Eastern African Youth Forum to be held in Kigali, Rwanda . Under the theme ‘Moral values: the key to a brighter future’ from 18th through 23rd February 2013 at the La Palisse Hotel, Kigali.

Seven people were killed by a bomb that tore through a bus in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh on Sunday 18 November. At the time of the explosion, Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye were addressing a group of Muslim and Christian leaders in Eastleigh. During the night there were reprisal attacks, leaving six people dead.

'Is the best of peace or the worst of conflict coming to Africa?' A detailed eight page report of the second East Africa Youth Conference, which took place in Uganda between 7-12 February 2012, is now available.

Chris Breitenberg from USA, currently serving on the International Council of Initiatives of Change, gives his ‘wrap-up’ summary of the recently concluded Global Assembly.