Our Work

Shrinking the Space Against Violent Extremism (SAVET)

Drivers that make youths join violent groups include:

SAVET seeks to promote peace and peaceful coexistence among youth despite their differences by conducting community joint activities such as games, art and drama to enhance social cohesion. As a way of building resilience against violence extremism the program supports youth’s economic empowerment through business trainings, clinics and mentoring.

The program focuses on vulnerable youth within Lamu Island and Mpeketoni to embrace non-violent options for conflict mitigation as they unite communities and contribute to the development within their communities.

In the implementation of SAVET program activities gender equity is enhanced by ensuring both genders are equally represented.

Youth Population

Drivers that make youths join violent groups include:

  • High Poverty and unemployment, youths accept any opportunity that shall engage them for a pay. As they search for this they end up being lured into violent extremist groups;
  • Low levels of both religious and formal education, this makes their judgments and decision poor since they are made in lack of knowledge;
  • The desire for recognition and status in the community, this comes with money and power which extremist offer to the youths. The communities have not created this room for the youths and as such they are easily lured by violent extremist groups.

Why And How These Drivers Affect The Population Group

  • Youths at the coast region are ranked among the poorest in their communities. Because of low formal education they are unable to compete fairly in the job market thus remain unemployed. This renders the youths poorest within their communities. High poverty and increasing unemployment among youths render them vulnerable to any job opportunity that would provide for their needs and that of the family. This increases their vulnerability and a number end up joining violent extremist groups;

  • Low levels of both religious and formal education has made the youth’s judgments and decision making poor due to lack of knowledge. The perpetrators misinterpret existing religious scripts and misrepresent historical truths to mobilize the youths to hatred and anger so as to engage in violence and extremism.
  • At the coast communities view money and power as very important for community status and recognition. Because youths are poor they are denied this recognition. They are never given leadership position or invited to decision making tables because they are poor. Because of the desire for recognition and honor youths willingly accept roles and positions offered by extremist with the hope of gaining power and money so as to qualify as relevant amongst their communities