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| Community based initiatives |
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The idea of supporting communities was to mobilize ordinary people to fight poverty. The thinking was that if people created initiatives together, they would be inclined to nurture those initiatives and to defend them, irrespective of their differences. So far the growth of several community based reconciliation associations involving survivors, perpetrators, and people with family members in prison is an indicator that reconciliation is taking place at the community level.
Over 60 community-based associations have received grants from the NURC since 2001 through advocay to the donor community, in 2006 there are over 360 community selfhelp initiatives established and functioning all over the country. Most of them comprise perpetrators and survivors and their activities range from promoting reconciliation in communities to income generating activities. Not only did NURC provide funds but it trained these association about self sustainability and management to avoid creating dependency. This works as a vehicle for ownership and empowerment. Equally important is for the grassroots to see themselves as people’s structures a resource in themselves and not an arm of the government or the NURC.
Creation of Reconciliation Clubs The idea of forming NURC Clubs in schools and institutions of higher learning was one of the outcomes of the Ingando. Initially, the NURC took the lead in creating them. In time, however, students formed reconciliation clubs on their own. The clubs provide a space where students from different backgrounds get together promote reconciliation in places of learning. In this way, their teaching does not just end at the Ingando but is carried forward constructively. Today the NURC is trying to document all Reconciliation Clubs and associations countrywide and mainstream them into its reconciliation activities. This will result into creating a central database for these associations and clubs. |