PEACE AND SPORTS PROGRAMME FOR YOUTH WARRIORS

Among the pastoralist communities,cattle raiding is a cultural activity whose purpose has been to secure and procure livestock as a sole source of livelihood, social prestige and for initiation ceremonies. Cattle raiding was practiced within a set of rules that ensured less human casualty and protection of children and women.  It was common practice that communities experiencing drought would have their cattle raided by communities with ample grazing land in order to safeguard the lives of the animals.

However, over the years this practice has become extremely violent leading to senseless loss of lives, destruction of property, abduction, rape and killing of women and children as a result of proliferation of sophisticated weapons acquired during the civil wars in the region.

Children and youth in pastoralist communities have been brought up in the culture of violence and the art of cattle raiding. It is estimated that within a 15-year lifespan of one single cow, not less than 45 youth lose their lives in cattle raids between communities and across the borders of Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.

Rev. Bishop Paride Taban, retired bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Torit, felt that there was need to bridge the youth from these traditionally conflicting communities. It is with this concern about senseless loss of lives and destruction of property, that Bishop Paride inspired  Edwin Ruigrok of Pax Christi Netherlands and Ambrose Ongwen of Seeds of Peace Africa (SOPA) International to conceptualize a programme that would bring together the youth warriors from pastoralist communities to discuss the values, virtues and vices in cattle raiding in order for them to critically come up with alternative peaceful ways of occupation and development for the future of their communities.

After two successful conferences, with youth warriors and elders from neighboring pastoralist communities in Uganda, Kenya and Sudan, Pax Christi Netherlands (Pax Christi) and SOPA-International working in partnership with local and international organizations developed a peace and sports programme. The purpose of this programme is to:

1. bring together youth warriors from cattle raiding communities in Southern Sudan, Kenya and Uganda to be engaged in peace and sports activities on a regular basis

2. enable community members and the youth to participate in development processes in their communities

3. provide space for the youth warriors to share experiences, express their needs, aspirations and difficulties hence gain increased socio-economic resources and services they are entitled to.

This programme is designed to run for five years and is partly currently funded for one year by Intervida World Alliance (INWA) among other partners.

The Holy Trinity Peace Village Kuron is grateful to all our partners who are contributing to the Peace and Sports programme and calls upon other well-wishers to support us in this initiative.