28 May 2008

New York, USA: The UN Peace Building Fund has granted US$ 1 million to the Emergency Volunteer Scheme (EVS), which will promote conflict resolution in Kenya.

The financial support allocated in late May gives a substantial boost to a pilot initiative underway in deprived areas of the Rift Valley.

The longer-term idea is to help communities respond to, resolve and recover from conflicts by themselves and enhance a culture of volunteerism. UNV partnered with UNDP and the Kenyan Ministry of State for Special Programmes to launch the EVS in the aftermath of Kenya's disputed election in December 2007, which triggered a wave of violence.

Anchored within the EVS is the Kenya Early Recovery through Neighbourhood Volunteers (KERVO) scheme. This project is managed by Kenyan UNV volunteer coordinators, who carry out training to promote peace and reconciliation: it also aims to dovetail with Volunteerism for Development (V4D) as a national strategy for development cooperation.

These national UNV volunteers identify and train local Neighbourhood Volunteers to handle post-conflict trauma, including trauma resulting from sexual and gender based violence.

There are currently 133 Neighbourhood Volunteers, of whom half are women. They receive intensive training on human rights and counselling and are expected to spearhead the resolution of any conflicts that may arise in their communities.

The project focuses on engaging young men in violence prevention work and promoting women's rights. The plan is to build peoples' skills via district and community organizations, especially women's and youth groups.