Help restore broken trust in Kenya

Hi there! My name is Dan Mugera and I am the Project Manager of Initiatives of Change, Kenya. I am fundraising for our Trustbuilding project.

Religion is a symbol of tolerance and social cohesion. Sadly, this is no longer the case among fragile Christian and Muslim communities living in Garissa in Kenya. Intolerance and mistrust between different faiths have progressively become issues of concern for religious communities. Moreover, in the last decade, places of worship and public spaces have increasingly become the target of violent and criminal actions motivated by religious or ethnic hatred.

Garissa, through the lens of global media, is famously known for the university attack where 148 students were killed by the Al-Shabaab group in April 2015. It left many with physical and emotional injuries that will disturb their lives for years to come. It brought to fore the underlying hostilities between Muslims and Christians. Since then, Garissa has experienced other terrorist attacks targeting non-Muslim passengers’ on buses, quarry workers and teachers. Such attacks have raised the issue of religious conflict which needs to be countered.

Fortunately, you can help reverse this situation by supporting the Trustbuilding project Kenya that works to inspire and equip people with the inner qualities, practices and skills needed to build trust across deep divides, heal historical wounds, bring together diverse interfaith groups in honest conversation, and develop multi-sector networks working for social cohesion and equity.

We need to raise $18,000 USD to cover the costs of delivering ten interfaith and trustbuilding dialogues in Garissa which will benefit 200 youth and community leaders. Costs include the team’s travel and accommodation, printing resources, lunch and travel for participants, venue hire, etc.

These dialogues will help increase the ability of Garissa youths and communities to effectively cope with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) caused by interfaith hostility and life challenges in general. They will also empower the local communities to create a supportive, nurturing and peaceful environment for interfaith cohesion, well-being and dignity of the target population.

Initiatives of Kenya has been working in trustbuilding and community development for over 60 years. We use our local skills and expertise to foster peaceful coexistence in communities. We invite you to be part of our journey to bring peace and trust in Kenya!

Testimonies from previous participants:

“The Trust building project team taught us and instilled in us is the absolute values of honesty, purity, love and unselfishness plus the use of dialogue in solving issues” – Abdulrahman Shakul, Garissa, Kenya.

“Trustbuilding is a process I am willing to carry on with, through my daily work and my church congregation. I have gained more insights in the last one year, insights that will guide me on how to create other trust builders in people I meet” - Rev. Collins, Mombasa, Kenya.

“It was the first time in my entire life time to share about my river of life, and for sure I can say that for a long time I had a peaceful sleep last night after sharing and listening to other people sharing including the facilitators who took the lead” - Monica, Mombasa, Kenya.

You can watch this video clip that shows the personal transformation that has occurred through our trustbuilding project.

We hope you can help us continue to do this important work.

Thank you,

Dan