Category: Updates

The project aimed at building the capacity of 60 women of faith from Central Kenya to safeguard women’s inheritance rights. It had the following components;

• Training of 60 women of faith on gender, family law and succession as well as conflict resolution and communication skills.
• Packaging the law on family and inheritance in a simplified and user friendly booklet.
• Mobile legal aid clinics
• Supporting litigation for selected needy cases on Succession and Inheritance.

This project was the first of its kind and it was very well received by the women and the community around them. The legal aid clinics and the support for needy cases were two very important complementary components. Since the trainees could not reach a wide audience, the legal aid clinics facilitated interaction between CEEC’s pro bono lawyers and the community members. About 300 community members had their legal questions answered especially those that related to marriage, property and inheritance. CEEC also supported 13 women who were at risk of being disinherited and could not afford legal fees to file their cases in court. The trainees were given copies of a simplified booklet on Family law and Succession to help them in their outreach efforts.

Under the Promotion of Women’s Inheritance Rights in Central Kenya Project which is supported by Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (VGIF), CEEC carried out a Family Law and Succession training on 26th to 30th November 2012. The training brought together 27 community leaders from Kandara, Central Kenya, 19 women and 8 men. Using a draft guide, the trainees are already disseminating what they learnt within their communities. CEEC plans to conduct monitoring and follow up visits in February 2013 to assess participants’ progress in implementing their action plans.

CEEC held an inter-ethnic dialogue training for youth from Nairobi’s informal settlements on 13th to 15th November 2012. The training which was supported by Heinrich Boll Stiftung, East and Horn of Africa Regional Office brought together 25 youth, both male and female from six informal settlements. The main objective of the training was to build the capacity of the youth to contribute to harmonious inter ethnic co-existence generally and specifically within the informal settlements especially within the context of the March 2013 general elections. The trainees have held inter ethnic dialogue forums within their respective informal settlements mainly targeting the youth. The response has been very positive with the youth calling for more of such forums. During these forums, the trainees have been screening the documentary “Heal the Nation” which is a very powerful depiction of the disastrous effects of negative ethnicity during the 2007/8 Post Election violence. After participating in the forums in the informal settlements, CEEC’s overall impression is that it is possible to avert a repeat of the 2007/8 by mobilizing youth for peace. This however means reaching out to as many youth as possible.