Community Transformation: Virtues Project in Kenya

Meet Bibiana, Peacemaker, Master Facilitator, and Project Leader for Virtues and Community Development for Kenya! Bibiana has completed Virtues Project Facilitator Training, as well as, several peace and social work trainings.  She is a Gazette Children’s Officer. She volunteers at Kakamega Police Station, Children Protection Unit. She receives invitations to schools to counsel students who experience conflict with school rules and the family. Bibiana preached peace as she campaigned for a political seat as a Councilor, Shibiriri Ward, Municipal Council of Kakamega. She won by a landslide. While serving as a Councilor she realized a need to infuse The Virtues Project into her community projects where she trained targeted groups of community members in income-generating skills.  She realized that the Five Strategies of The Virtues Project would provide the solid moral foundation for these groups to support one another and lead to greater future success.  Bibiana shared her work and her vision with me while I was visiting Kenya, and this project on GlobalGiving was born.  

Thanks to your generous support, Bibiana has been moving the Virtues and Community Development for Kenya project forward in many ways:

• She uses Virtues Cards and the Five Strategies to bring about reconciliation in families, schools and community.
• At Kakamega Police Station, she assists with child matters to often resolve without court referrals as she uses her virtues skills to promote reconciliation.  
• She has joined other facilitators to train teachers at St. Joseph’s Academy Kakamega, Masinde Muliro University Science & Technology (MMUST) aspiring student leaders, chemistry students and the community.
• She was invited to Nyakach Girls High School (a National School of some 2000 students and 85 teachers) to assist staff with handling serious discipline cases. On the first visit she introduced Virtues Project to the guiding and counseling teachers. On the second visit, which lasted 3 days, she counseled the children by teaching them the Five Strategies and using Virtues Cards.  The children's behavior has improved and the school (located 150km from Kakamega) has arranged for further Virtues Training at the end of second term.
• She has organized two community groups of 20 members each to participate in Virtues Training and Community Development Trainings:  a) Musoli area – Simplicity Community Virtues Support Group (20 members) 4 Pods (5 members each) Purity, Mercy, Honor, Zeal    b) Mwiyenga Community Courage Group (20 members) 4 Pods (5 members each) Fidelity, Patience, Love, Cooperation. Both groups have been trained in virtues and table banking.  Arrangements are being made for both groups to be trained in poultry keeping soon.  From experience, teachable moments and successes of these first two groups, Bibiana will proceed to form the next two groups.
• She created employment for a local woman who now sews virtues card bags that will be sold in the US to help sustain community development work in Kenya.
• Bibiana was nominated for Master Facilitator of The Virtues Project for her extensive community development work with The Virtues Project allowing her to now train others to be Facilitators of The Virtues Project.

Without your support, this work would not have been possible.  Thank you again for your charitable contribution to this important project, Virtues and Community Development for Kenya!