After years of bitter disputes, violence and displacements among the communities of Baringo County, situated in the north-west of Kenya, Creators of Peace was invited to run Peace Circles for the women. A team came to the ‘Living Peace’ conference to share a case study on their project.

Jacinta Wanja Ciomiti from Kenya is helping many in her community thanks to her training in agriculture. She started farming with Ksh. 500 and 1/8 of an Acre her mother gave to her.

ABDIKADIR ADEN HASSAN (GARRISA)

On 17 of October, two days before the official Kenya ‘Mashujaa Day’ (Heroes Day), we honoured, celebrated and appreciated 23 ordinary Kenyans and one non-Kenyan, from diverse backgrounds, who are ‘sticking their necks out’ for the common good and serving their communities in selfless ways.

Joseph Karanja has never forgotten the poor and dispossessed in his home area of Eldoret, which in 2007 was the epicentre for inter-tribal violence following presidential and parliamentary elections. Under Joseph’s initiative, solar lights were trialled in Munyaka, a very poor part of Eldoret. Solar lights have been one of the tools used to help transform this community. Remarkable progress has been made in addressing the need for education, employment and income generation, but most significantly this would not have been possible without a strategy to create peace and reconciliation within the community.

The African Coordination Group (ACG) wishes to inform you and ask your prayers for a consultation of Initiatives of Change (IofC) bodies in Africa from 5 to 10 March 2014 at Bonita Youth Development Centre – Debre Zeit in Ethiopia.

Being involved with Initiatives of Change (IofC) has not only been an experience but a journey of learning and gaining so much good. It’s been years of personal development in terms of integrity and moral values. Zachariah Muturi, a young Kenyan shares his experience with IofC.

Samuel Muiruri, a participant of Harambee Africa Leadership Programme from Kenya, has been putting into practice one of the things that he learnt during the sixth Harambee programme that took place end of last year in Nigeria - building houses out of plastic bottles.

What is an HR person to do? The doctor and I stood outside and realized that we would have to go back in to find people. Other colleagues were at hand to assist and went in selflessly, not afraid to die in pursuit of the living. So we did. It's something you have to do in spite of the fact that you do not really know how safe the building is - would the structure hold? Would there be another bomb? Ranya Kargbo shares what her job means to her, working as a United Nations International Civil Servant.

'Many people long to change the world. Throughout their lifetime, even when social, political and economic hardships have seemed to undermine their efforts, their strong conviction has kept them on their toes.' Mike Muikia, from Kenya, shares an inspiring piece on positive change and the challenges that comes with it.