JOURNEY OF A PEACE WORKER

The dark side of me is hard to define It's the part of my soul that I keep confined The part that I'm afraid, of what it might see The part that's alone, when I cease to be It is a monster, that I can't control A ghost that haunts me, deep in my soul That causes me to lie, and sometimes stray away  It makes me angry, and it is hard to beat I try to keep it hidden, deep inside So no one else can see, the fear that I hide But sometimes it escapes and shows its face And I'm left alone, in that dark, dark place But I know that it's there, and I must face it The darkness within, before it takes its place So I'll keep it in check, and keep it at bay And hope that someday, it'll just fade away.

My undergraduate degree is in Counseling, precisely BA in Counseling.  It is a career I pursued years later after my high school days.   In my early life, it never occurred to me that one day I would be a counselor or practice counseling as a profession. This is because, unlike professions such as law, medicine, and engineering, counseling has been viewed as a profession for the “less serious” students, therefore, the likelihood of getting a “good” job and a successful life career was not visible.  In addition, the existing perception about counseling is that it is, for example, for those people who are seeking a divorce or are going through life problems, or are mentally sick and is used as   a last resort. These perceptions made counseling a less attractive career to pursue. However, as I started my career as a development worker, and later as peacebuilding for the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), a faith-based organization...

Tribalism is pervasive.  It controls our behavior It overrides reason  It makes us feel better than others Violence and wars are tribalism  Genocide is tribalism  Religious extremism is tribalism Bigotry is tribalism They wipe out other groups  To keep our group safe – 'tis madness.  In Kenya's land, a tale unfolds Of perversity, a poisonous hold Tribalism grips the nation tight A curse that blinds, a plight The people once united, now divide Along lines of tribe, a deadly tide Their differences, a wedge so wide A chasm that cannot be glossed The air is thick with hatred's stench As tribes turn against each other's trench Their cries for justice drowned in blood A never-ending cycle of flood Their leaders, once united in hope Now fractured, each one a scope For power and wealth, they'll do and say To keep their grip, night and day The people suffer, lose, and afraid Caught in the crossfire, they're betrayed Their rights and freedoms, denied and oppr...

It was a bright morning in 2006 when I boarded a Cebu Pacific flight from Davao to Cebu City. It was only my second trip outside Davao since I arrived in the Philippines a year earlier for an international development assignment. My destination was Dumaguete City where a workshop at Silliman University awaited. The prospect of reconnecting with fellow development workers some of whom I had not seen in months filled me with genuine excitement. The flight itself felt special. The crew greeted us with warm smiles and soon we were soaring above Mindanao’s lush hills and winding rivers. From my window seat I watched long stretches of white sand and caught sight of Bohol’s Chocolate Hills in the distance. In that quiet moment I felt completely present. When I landed in Cebu, I chose a scenic countryside bus ride to Dumaguete rather than a boat. The journey was long, so I drifted in and out of sleep until a gentle tap on my shoulder stirred me. A soft voice then asked “Hey you look new he...

Fall 2013 is a season I return to often in my memory—not because everything was easy, but because everything was real. That semester, I left the comfort of theory-driven classrooms and stepped into Gulu, Northern Uganda, a place still carrying the scars of a brutal conflict. I arrived with an open mind and a head full of peacebuilding theories, but I didn’t yet understand how different lived experience would be from what I had studied. Arriving in Gulu: When Theory Meets Humanity Before traveling, I had read about the Lord’s Resistance Army and the years of violence and displacement that followed. But nothing prepares you for meeting the people who lived through it—the mothers rebuilding homes, the young men seeking identity after war, and the elders trying to reweave their communities. Gulu changed me. Everyone I met carried a story of loss, but also a level of resilience that humbled me. They didn’t speak about theory; they lived it. And I quickly realized that my peacebuilding...

Dear Florence, Colleagues, Apologies for this long email. From the distance, it is the least I can do to mourn and celebrate Doreen Ruto. I learnt of Doreen's passing with a deep sense of loss and sadness. It is a truly confounding loss: for her family, country, and professional colleagues around the world.  I extend my condolences to all her work colleagues, friends and family. I particularly convey my sympathy to her children Biko and Kiptoo. Their pain and bewilderment must be profound. May we all embrace them with supportive care. I got to know Doreen in early 2008 when she called me on phone and introduced herself. At the time Kenya was in the throes of the unprecedented post-2007 elections crisis and violence. Working out of the Serena Hotel for most of that period, I was part of a group of Kenyans who quickly came together under the banner of Concerned Citizens for Peace (CCP) to try whatever we could do to pull the country back from the precipice. During that season ...

My personal leadership vision My leadership development plan is based on the reflection of my leadership competencies analyzed through feedback from colleagues and friends. There are obviously some areas that I am strong, areas that I need to improve, and opportunities for development that are coupled with my career development. In my view leadership at the individual and interpersonal level involves leading people and ethics is important. Servant leadership is my working theory of leadership as I consider both people and ethics. From this standpoint, I will describe my plan based on my values, traits, attributes, behaviors, and competencies that are compatible with this frame of leadership. My ideal leadership is more than the position that I am seeking for in my organization, CRS. I believe it requires a willingness to sacrifice for others, model, motivate, mentor, and multiply others. It is also a relationship of influence, to keep a team together and is based on trust, respe...