Tuesday 10 June 2008

KENYA: Catholic Sisters Table Peace Building Programmes NAIROBI,


March 11, 2008 (CISA) -The Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya-Justice and Peace Commission (AOSK-CJPC) tabled peace-building activities to help build peace among Kenyans during the International Women’s Day (IWD) last Saturday.The AOSK-JPC held a ‘peace and reconciliation ritual’ at the Holy Family Basilica at 9.30am to pray for the success of the mediation and peace in the country on IWD.In the celebration, Nobel Peace Prize Winner- Professor Wangari Maathai said, “Today is a very special day for Kenyan women to come together and reflect. As women we have a very heavy responsibility of taking messages to grassroots level, to preach healing and create a peaceful country for our children.”She said that Kenyans should embrace its diversity and see themselves as micro-nations. Maathai appealed to all Kenyans to live in peace, nurture development, seek justice, truth and reconciliation so that they do not rise up and kill each other again.The AOSK-JPC peace building activities included: encouraging women to persuade men to keep peace, to visit the displaced and to provide them with food and shelter.Other activities were: to organise inter-religious rallies, to pray for forgiveness, reconciliation and peace in the country, introduce trauma counselling sessions in schools and peace building programmes for better future, challenge local, civic, political and religious leaders and people of good will to provide educational facilitates and teachers for the displaced, encourage youth to discuss about diverse culture and allow children to mingle with others irrespective of their tribe or political background.Among the participants were, Sr Marie Therese Gacambi of Assumption Sisters of Nairobi, Sr Mary Frances of Little Sisters of St Joseph, Professor Wangari Maathai-Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Julie Gichuru of Nation TV, Sr Jane Joan of ASOK-JPC and 8 representatives from Kalenjin, Borana, Kamba, Kikuyu, Swahili, Maasai, Luo and Luhya.

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