Retreating, Refreshing and Handing over the reins. Creators of Peace Kenya.
The past year has been a very busy one for Creators of Peace (CoP) Kenya facilitators as well as the Baringo CoP Ambassadors as they stretched themselves to make the “Creators of Peace Baringo Project” happen. Most of the focus areas for CoP in Baringo County are very difficult and draining both in physical and psychological terms. But to remain sane and refreshed, everyone needs self-care. For any facilitator working in the field, time out is considered necessary to process or to debrief to avoid secondary trauma.
This was one of the agendas in the mind of the organizers as they set 28-30 June 2016 aside for the Creators of Peace (CoP) Kenya facilitators and the Baringo Peace Ambassadors’ retreat. Fourteen women, nine CoP facilitators and five Baringo Peace Ambassadors met in Nyayo Estate, Nairobi. With the very limited space for accommodation, sharing, caring and team bonding was real!
Due to the type of work involved in the field, it is possible to have empathy fatigue. In the truest sense, the fulfillment of work done comes from seeing the growth, hope, and new direction in those privileged to work with the team in the Peace Circles trainings. The fulfillment of the peace work demands that the best is given as much as possible in ethical ways. With this awareness, common sense predicts that exhaustion is a potential threat waiting for those who do not retreat and take some time out.
There was a chance to listen to each other’s personal experiences as a way of bonding and connecting deeper with each other since work is done as a team. ‘Don’t let situations in life alter your future,’ said Esther, a CoP Ambassador representing the Tugen community, as she narrated how after being unjustly laid off from her job in the government sector, she had only one goal in life - to retaliate. And to do it, her plan was to educate her daughter so as to get a good job and be in a position where she could also lay off someone else just like it was done to her. She shared her gratitude to Creators of Peace Circles, which helped her reflect and let go her ill intentions driven by the desire to retaliate, and resolved to forgive those who had fired her. The retreat part of the meeting was long overdue and came just at the right time.
A refresher course on facilitating the Peace Circles; fuelled by constructive feedback to each other was another agenda so that everyone could see the areas they needed to improve individually or collectively. Other issues discussed included how to handle difficult or unforeseen situations during a Peace Circles.
With all the demands, possibilities and challenges of the Creators of Peace Baringo Project, the need was emphasized for the facilitators and the Peace Ambassadors to work together in teamwork. There was the recognition that every person in the team is gifted differently, so it is imperative for everyone to appreciate, encourage, celebrate, embrace, and also hold on to one another for the success of each individual as well as the success of the project. It was also deemed necessary to be ethically upright as individuals to continue the good work. One cannot give what one doesn't have, so it has to start with the team.
The highlight at the end was the emotional hand over of leadership. Ann Njeri Kimanthi, who had been the CoP Coordinator and carried this 'baby' since 2007, was taking a bow as the head. Everyone had a positive word to say to her. She has been instrumental in making Creators of Peace Kenya be where it is now. The Irish Blessing summed up what everyone desired for her:
‘May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your window pane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May life fill your heart with gladness to cheer you….’
The leadership of Creators of Peace Kenya was taken over by two amazing, very able, passionate and committed peace practitioners, namely,; Mediatrix Masava as the National Coordinator and Mumbi Wambugu as the Assistant Coordinator. With the two ladies having other engagements in a bid to sustain themselves financially, it calls for courage, sacrifice and the love of peace to accept whole heartedly to be at the forefront of Creators of Peace Kenya. The two were given the blessings and the responsibility to take the Creators of Peace programme to the next level.