Part 3: Initial Messaging Feedback

 

Throughout the election week, SNA-K collected both solicited feedback (via our large network of partner organizations, outreach workers, and their observations as well as feedback they received from the community) and unsolicited feedback through our office line and SMS platform.

All feedback (quotes from the general public, observable impact, and feedback from partners) is tracked in relation to specific messages and actions taken. SNA-K keeps this information in a database, which will be fully analyzed in the months after the election process is completed.

In this report, we have included a snapshot of the types of solicited and unsolicited feedback SNA-K received from partners and subscribers during the March 4^th elections week.

 

Dandora

During and following the elections, SNA-K sent messages and helped flag security concerns in Dandora to the NSC. Dandora was one of the areas that experienced the most tensions and incidents in the days leading up to and following the elections. On election day, youths supporting a particular political party overwhelmed police in Phase 4 to prevent voting. This was brought under control by backup security, and SNA-K sent a message.

Feedback from residents included comments that, the message “helped to calm down the situation” and “was sent at the right time,” because, according to partners “they think the whole world was watching Dandora. Everyone knew what was happening.”

 

Following a second message, our Dandora co-ordinator summarized feedback from eight outreach workers in the area. They said: “the message helped to maintain calm, reminds us of our community, makes us be united, shows someone thinks about Dandora, reminds us to be peaceful all the times, and thanks for reacting and responding to our concerns.”

 

Burnt Forest & Kariobangi North

Our area Co-ordinator for both Burnt Forest and Kariobangi North reported similar feedback from both places.

In one case, a community partner said: “The message had a real impact. People stopped and were looking at their phones. They were gathered in groups and talking about politics.”

He noted that the community was congratulating SNA-K members on their work and that the messages had a particularly big impact in Kariobangi North where they helped to break up negative groupings.

He noted that based on the feedback he received, people were saying that, “the IEBC has their own ways of doing this – and they may not trust them but getting a peace message from us will give them a reaffirmation of the situation.”

Many community members requested additional messages.

 

Korogocho

The highlights of the messaging feedback from Korogocho are as follows:

– “The messages make people think otherwise if they wanted to do something wrong.” – “Updated people with the information which made people to be calm.” – “The messages helped keep people calm.”

 

Eldoret

On March 11^th, Eldoret partners wrote to SNA-K, saying:

“We are grateful for the good messages we have been receiving from SNA-K. Continue with the good job,” and “Viva SNAK for coming up with such a unique way of preaching peace through mobile technology. Keep up!”

SNA-K also received quotes from community members:

“We are grateful cos the messages are totally free of charge, not as we thought when being subscribed to the system.”

This quote shows the importance of building trust and credibility when it comes to SMS and technology-based services. Another person noted:

“I went to the interior and Kapsoya, and they are complaining not to be receiving messages. Kindly do some outreach there.”

This shows that a demand was created for SNA-K messaging in additional areas.

On March 6^th, an SNA-K subscriber called the SNA-K office line, saying:

“Rumours circulated in the morning almost brought commotion, that the election kit had been spoilt, and people would vote the second time. People were worried. Rumours spread so fast, but when asked how they got info those spreading rumours disappeared and calm returned. We are getting messages from SNA-K and forwarding to all in our phonebooks. I am proud of what Sisi ni Amani is doing. We need to celebrate you after elections. There is a big effect, and the stickers are all over so we are asking people to not bring propaganda here because this is amani zone.”

This message shows the importance of messaging that is directed towards the spread of rumours and how people interact with information that they receive during emotionally tense periods.

 

Narok County

Narok County was a main focal point for SNA-K, with the area experiencing tensions throughout the voting process. In particular, reports from Ololulunga of high tension came in from polling day, and through the tallying process. In response to the pre-election messages sent with voter education information, the SNA-K office line received calls from Ololulunga subscribers, saying:

“We are generally peaceful and hope to vote peacefully tomorrow. Continue sending these messages. Ni poa sana.”

On March 5^th, after chaos at a polling station over tallying, an SNA-K subscriber called Samuel, called and said:

“There has been calm in Ololulunga and I would like to thank you for informing the police who came to the area so quickly and for the message you sent that helped to maintain calm. I can now go home happy after my tallying center has finished its job peacefully Thank you Sisi Ni Amani.”

SNA-K’s Coordinator for Mulot, Sogoo, and Sagamian, Pastor Wilson Mosonik, received phone calls and thank you messages from the areas he was co-ordinating.

On March 5th, a man named Joel from Rongena, called Mosonik to thank him for the messages saying that the area has historically always had problems during elections, and that this time, the messages brought peace and have been a topic of discussion. Further, during the tallying where tensions were rising, he would show people the message about maintaining calm and he said it really helped. He wanted to say thank you.

This feedback shows the potential for messages on peoples’ phones to become a tool that they can use in their own peace efforts.

Community members from Sogoo and Sagamian told Mosonik that the messages were helpful and that they recognized that SNA-K has really worked hard and that they appreciated the messages. They said that the messages helped bring peace in the areas and that if anyone was about to bring up a dispute they would be shown the messages from SNA-K.

.Again this shows the need to further understand how messages can become a tool for the people who receive them to talk more openly and with more credibility about peace.

In Transmara, also in Narok County, a subscriber called the office line on March 9^th to say:

“Thanks so much for your wonderful messages. At least you gave us something to look up to and helped us maintain peace…Kudos.” Further, we received a call on March 10th letting us know that the messages were very helpful and that the messages were being discussed during a morning mass at church that morning.

 

Sotik/Sotik-Borabu Border

SNA-K received a lot of feedback is Sotik, specifically around the Sotik/Borabu border.

On March 5th, a subscriber called Barimen living on the Sotik Borabu border told Pastor Mosonik, the area coordinator, that he was happy that the SMS came in right before and during the elections and “helped maintain calm even when the electronic registers were not working.” He thanked SNA-K for bringing peace to the border.

This and other feedback show that SMS, if used well, can be a tool to encourage patience in particular and help people wait out scenarios that could otherwise lead to rumors and tensions. On March 6^th, a subscriber called Langat wrote to the office line to say:

“Its been a long stretch towards the finishing line of 2013 elections, On behalf of Sotik district I wish to thank SNA-K for tireless work of reminding the residents importance of maintaining peace.”

 

General

Finally, as a nice piece of general feedback, SNA-K also received a message to the SMS number 22762 which, translated to English, read:

“Thank you SNA-K educating me through your messages and for helping me maintain peace. Mine is to say that God bless you because your organization is like a church.”

 

Second SMS Creation Workshop & Debates Review!

Mercy is a new SNA-K intern who will be blogging & keeping you updated on SNA-K’s activities & progress! This is her first post: 

Monday the 30^th of July I attended SNA-K’s second SMS creation meeting in Huruma. The first meeting was held several months earlier, and included a representative from the IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) who worked with participants to create messages detailing the roles of different political positions under the new Constitution as well as electoral rules and procedures. Last Monday’s workshop was really exciting, being my first day as an SNA-K intern, and  it was really interesting.

The first agenda was to recap what happened at the last political debate  for the county leadership aspirants. Representatives of the different areas around Baba Dogo, Korogocho, Kariobangi North, Mathare, and Huruma were present and we got their views on the debate both positive and negative.  Some of the positive views include

–          They like the idea of having debates as they get to have a one on one with the aspiring leaders.

–          They feel the debates remove the tension between leaders and civilians, thus promote unity

–          They felt the debates differentiates political parties and this helps to put aside tribalism, which is one of the main causes for violence in our communities.

–          These debates are a learning tool for the community residents,  they will help them know what kind of leaders they are going to elect, therefore a leader , not according to the size of his wallet but according to the change they are going to bring to their community.

–          Therefore they are beneficial to both the aspirants and the civilians. They both get to hear each others views

This feedback is very important for Sisi ni Amani as we feel motivated and feel like we are slowly achieving our goals to promote peace in these areas and Kenya in general during the coming elections.

It wasn’t all just a bed of roses though. There was also negative feedback. The representatives felt that there weren’t  enough female aspirants for the position. This is because the women in these communities feel unsure that they are qualified, they fear harassment from the public, and lack courage for lack of support from their spouse and/or different views from their spouse. The other thing is the issue of culture: discrimination based on marital status – e.g. “if a woman is not married, she cannot be a leader” –  is pretty serious in these communities. Additionally and of great concern is that women who wish to run for these positions have received threats of violence from members of the community, contributing to a fear of running for these positions.

I think one of the texts send out should include the quote, from Wangari Maathai:  “African women in general need to know that it’s OK for them to be the way they are – to see the way they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence.”

We hope to educate these communities on these issues, to try make clear some of the rules, regulations, and rights surrounding these issues, and to change their mentalities.  This brings us to the second agenda of the day which was the SMS creation.

Sisi ni amani  use SMS’s as a platform to put out word to the general public, educating them about elections, roles of the different leaders and upcoming debates and peace events.

This meeting was to get the representatives views of the frequency with which messages on civic education should be sent to have the greatest impact, and also the content of the different texts. I can say that was a really successful activity. Not only did we accomplish getting a formula for frequency and content, but also the participants learnt a thing or two ourselves. I honestly did not know that the Members of Parliament review the conduct in the office of the president and can actually initiate the process of removing them from office. I guess I need to spend some time reading the constitution – I will put that on my to do list!

New Program in Narok! Research & Grassroots Forums

After SNA-K’s Narok Chapter successfully implemented an educational forum to address land issues in Narok at a key hot spot for conflict, Kibilat, we received positive feedback and requests for replication from individuals all over Narok. People felt that the forum helped them to understand key information about land issues. Specifically, the forum helped participants understand double leasing, a phenomenon in which two individuals are sold the same plot of land. Often, individuals believe others are grabbing their land when there is really double leasing (individuals have been sold the same plot of land, and often both have been tricked by a third party). This causes a great deal of conflict in the area, especially when rumors spread about specific instances of double leasing but exaggerate conflict between individuals into conflict between ethnic communities.

After the positive response from the initial forum, SNA-K sought support to replicate this forum in other parts of Narok, and to implement similar forums to address the relationship between the spread of rumors and conflict. In mid-February, SNA-K officially received support from USAID-OTI to implement this project, complete with new elements of extensive research on land issues throughout Narok, focus groups with key community leaders to create conflict-monitoring mechanisms using SMS, and a radio programs element.

Pastor Wilson Mosonik interviews community members during land research

The project has begun with three weeks of research conducted by ten local researchers in Narok North, Narok South, and Transmara. The researchers have interviewed stakeholders ranging from government land administration institutions, to individuals using these institutions, to local conflict resolution mechanisms and community elders.

This research will inform a series of grassroots forums focused on double leasing and rumors. The format of open-air forums provide a space for community members to come together in a safe space across ethnic lines to discuss the issues that affect them in a moderated format and in the presence of experts on the subjects that they discuss. By combining local perspectives and airing of issues with legal and educational information, SNA-K takes dialogue a step further by enabling community members to take next steps in addressing their issues.

A total of twelve forums will be held, six each on double leasing and rumor monitoring. Forums on double leasing will be held in Mulot, Ololulunga, Nkareta, Noroosura, Transmara, and Mau- Tipis. Forums on rumors will be held in London (Narok Town), Majengo (Narok Town), Ololulunga Town, Mulot Center, Olmekeinyu (Mau Forest Area), and Sogoo. Rumor forums will be planned to coincide with market days and to happen near to market places to have the largest audiences possible.

After these forums, SNA-K will hold focus groups with key community stakeholders to design a conflict monitoring mechanisms based on information gathered about land conflict and rumors. SNA-K will also work with community radio stations to have two shows discussing the most important issues that came up in forums, and will invite guest speakers to discuss how good leadership and policies can help address these issues.

Read the 3-page concept note on this program here!

Kasarani Community Forum

This past Saturday, SNA-K’s Kamukunji chapter held a community forum for seventy community leaders in Baba Dogo and Korogocho. The forum followed two smaller forums of approximately twenty leaders each in Baba Dogo and Korogocho, which identified the major needs in each of the two communities. Saturday’s forum brought together leaders from both locations to prioritize the needs identified by category and specific issue to provide the baseline of information for a Community Needs Assessment that will be presented to political aspirants. This forum will be supplemented by SMS-based input from the community, and creates positive civic engagement through bringing community leaders across ethnic and religious lines together to agree upon shared goals. More information on the forum will follow, but for a preview, the top five priority areas identified were:

1. Security

2. Education

3. Good governance

4. Health care

5. Environment

Participants’ evaluations of the forum were positive, with all participants believing that the document produced would reflect the needs of their communities, and participants commenting that the forum was very useful, and that the conversation and sharing of views was one of the most valuable parts.

Narok Chapter Update – Hot Spots Analysis & Community Meetings

After a fantastic outreach and a strategic planning retreat, the Narok team has planned to use the system for civic education, positive civic engagement, advertising events, and monitoring and responding to signs of tension or conflict.

The team began by researching and writing a hot spots analysis of Narok, which summarizes hot spots in each of its current areas as well as throughout the District.  They are now engaging representative community leaders for small meetings in each of their focus areas (Narok Town, Ololulunga, Mulot, and Mara Aitong) to receive feedback on the report, introduce the SNA-K Narok chapter to these leaders, and understand where there is potential for additional collaboration and support with these community groups. The first forum is scheduled to take place on July 21^st in Ololulunga.

Kasarani Chapter Update – forums & civic education

The Kasarani team has moved on to work on positive civic engagement. Specifically, they are focusing on creating a document that will capture community needs and can be presented to political aspirants as well as scorecards to measure whether the individual elected is successful in tackling their needs. They have begun two community forums (one each in Baba Ndogo and Korogocho), involving a representative group of community leaders from different ethnic communities, religions, genders, and ages. This Saturday May 16^th, they will hold a joint forum with the attendees of both previous forums and an additional twenty individuals who have been invited to harmonize their needs assessment for both communities and prioritize the needs they have identified. They will involve the community for awareness and opinions via the SMS platform after this baseline is established.

The Kasarani team continues to send civic education SMS to the community subscriber base, educating them on the new constitution. The SMS were created at a training led by Treasurer to the Board Damaris Lukwo (Dama), who is a Kenyan lawyer who has specialized in community trainings and the new constitution. The training brought together Dama’s expertise with the chapter members’ knowledge of which information is important to groups on the ground.

Kamukunji Programming

Kamukunji is a constituency in Nairobi that is a central to politics within the city. It is a focal point of jua kali work (“hot sun” work, or casual outdoor labor) within the city, and has a very diverse population.

SNA-K’s Project: SNA-K received a short-term grant from USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) to conduct programming in Kamukunji in the lead-up to a disputed by-election [sic] for the area’s Member of Parliament, which was scheduled for the end of May 2011. SNA-K began work in Kamukunji in April 2011.

SNA-K recruited 18 volunteers from Kamukunji community organizations who conducted outreach for the local phone number throughout Kamukunji. Approximately 7,000 individuals signed up in the volunteers’ two weeks of outreach. Subscribers were varied, with jobs ranging from civil servants, elders, and religious leaders, to matatu touts (workers on a form of public transportation), unemployed, housewives, and jua kali labor.

Confirmed subscribers received civic education messages sensitizing them to good leadership under the new Constitution, which were created through an expert-led workshop with SNA-K’s Kamukunji volunteers. Over 5,000 subscribers were given the opportunity to participate in an SMS-based survey of community needs, which was used to craft questions at a local debate between political aspirants (results to be available on this website soon). The most common community concern was unemployment.

One business day before the by-election was scheduled to take place, Kenya’s High Court postponed the election because of a pending election-related case. SNA-K sent a message to its subscribers asking them to wait peacefully and patiently for more information and to accept the High Court’s ruling. The community response was overwhelmingly positive, and community members called SNA-K’s volunteers to thank them for the message and let them know that it provided accurate information and helped to maintain peace and patience in Kamukunji.

Throughout the process, SNA-K used its Kamukunji network to monitor tensions and signs of tensions, and engaged in collaboration with the NSC (National Steering Committee, a government body appointed with coordinating Early Warning and Response). SNA-K reported signs of tension to the NSC for action.

Looking Forward: SNA-K is continuing to develop civic education messaging to educate Kamukunji subscribers about the new Constitution, and following closely as the High Court case proceeds with its case and decision with regards to the continuation of the by-election.

Why Sisi ni Amani – Personal story from Megan Turner (April, 2011)

When post election violence occurred, I was fifteen back in my home in southern California concerned with AP tests and the upcoming school dances.  I understand very little of the implications of the ethnic tensions that underlie the violence or the effect that the violence would have and continue to have on the social fabric of Kenyan society.  I knew enough to get into contact with my friend who lived in Nairobi but after learning that he was safe, I was at a loss as to what else I could do.  Flash forward three years and I was moving away from home studying International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University in Washington D.C. studying ethno political conflict and genocide, focusing on Africa, and learning Kiswahili.

Last semester I took the opportunity to study abroad in Kenya through my university and was recommended Sisi ni Amani Kenya (SNA-K) as an organization to consider interning with.  From the very beginning, I recognized SNA-K as an organization straight out of my development class discussions.  It was an organization that had involvement from the Western world but relied on the ideas and leadership potential of local Kenyans who knew the language, culture, people and what would work and not work.

The concept of SMS technology appealed to me as a teenager who has grown up in the cell phone era- what better way to reach a wide array of people poorly connected but through texting- and for such a good cause as peace and civic education?  From what I saw from my time in Kenya, the usage of SMS technology is an integral part of society and more effective than posters or fliers and can be accessed at any time on little notice, day or night, unlike soccer games or theatre productions.

One of the most admirable qualities of SNA-K is their emphasis on local leadership- not regional and not national.  Each community is different- with its own culture and way of life and SNAK respects and empowers these communities to reach their full potential and take ownership of the well being of their community.  I found from my time in Kasarani and Narok that each leadership team preferred to approach their work with different styles and chose to rely on different aspects of peace and civic education as their respective community necessitated.

I highly value the time that I spent interning with Sisi ni Amani- Kenya and even though I have returned to the states, I am hoping to stay active with the work of SNA-K and help in whatever way I can.

Narok Outreach Success (March 19, by Megan Turner)

The Narok Leadership Team has done an incredible job with community outreach: in just two and a half weeks, they’ve managed to get over 1,700 subscribers, mostly from very rural areas. The Sisi ni Amani member groups in these various areas have shown tremendous dedication, commitment, and organization in conducting extensive outreach. Jackson Saruni, a bright and motivated member of the Narok Leadership Team, has taken the lead in coordinating and organizing the various groups.

Each week, they have chosen a different location. They started with one week of outreach at Narok University College, led by a dedicated and self-motivated team of University students. In one week, the students managed to obtain 700 subscriptions out of a student body of approximately 2,000.

Next, the team focused on Mulot, a rural and primarily Kalenjin area, and brought in another more than 700 subscribers, with more still coming in. They focused on door-to-door and market day outreach, and also brought 31 pastors from different churches on board to conduct outreach on a Sunday.

The group is now focusing on Ololulunga, a primarily Masai rural neighbor to Mulot. The border between Ololulunga and Mulot is often a hot spot for violence, and by bringing groups from both locations together to conduct outreach on either side of and across the border, the group is targeting a large constituency. In addition, one enthusiastic member group, NABOK, has also been leading outreach in the rural areas of Sekanani and Aitong, with 300 subscribers within the first few days.

Next week outreach begins in Narok Town, with three different groups including University student volunteers from both Narok University and Kenya Methodist University in Nairobi participating.

Planning Outreach in Narok Town (March 18th, by Megan Turner)

Today, we had a meeting with our local chapter leaders in Narok to finalize plans for outreach in town the week of March 21^st. While there, we were able to meet with the leader of Narok Youth Congress who displayed an interest in the new SMS system and indicated an interest in joining and assisting with outreach.  In terms of the upcoming outreach in town, the community groups are going to focus on markets that are still divided along PNU/ODM lines, pikipikis, churches, Total and Majengo Estates, and the Central Business District.  Local community groups such as HAPEP and Neighbors Peace Initiative will be involved with the various aspects of outreach.  Students from Kenyan Youth Methodist are planning on coming to Narok University on Friday to assist with outreach, and students on both ends are excited to meet and work to promote peace together.