Unveiling Women as Pillars of Peace Peace Building in ...

This effort culminated in the creation of the Western Province Co-ordination Committee
(WPCC), and the appointment of a co-ordinator. WPCC then began to negotiate access,
systematise data on the numbers and conditions of the displaced, and organise meetings of all
actors responding to the conflicts. It also provided a forum within which NGOs operated a
consensual division of labour. The strength of this committee was boosted with the expansion of its
membership to include the government. Involvement of both government actors and all operational
NGOs enhanced the accountability and transparency of all actors. Specifically, WPCC could hold
government administrators to answer charges of abuse, including issues of insecurity, coming from
NGOs and displaced populations. Including all stakeholders greatly enlarged the operational
arena and set up a system of checks and balances among actors. Finally, and perhaps most
significantly, the WPCC empowered the internally displaced populations by allowing them
representation at the weekly co-ordination meetings. Representatives of displaced people in
these meetings could air their concerns and contribute to programme strategies. They served as a
conduit through which NGOs and the government could establish closer links with these
populations. The representatives also urged their constituents to participate in peace building
activities when these were initiated. It was within the framework of WPCC that peace building
was formulated, concretised and carried out.
WPCC encouraged and facilitated information flow to create an enabling environment for
dialogue among different actors in the field. All of its members benefited. The internally
displaced persons (IDPs) had a channel through which they could introduce and follow their
claims with the administration and the NGOs. From the government’s participation, the provincial
administration gained the acceptability and legitimacy especially with displaced people. More
importantly for this study, the WPCC provided the forum for organising and conducting peace and
reconciliation workshops (Kathina & Oduor 1995).
Peace Building Processes
As 1994 approached, prospects for massive return remained bleak, relief provision
generated one dilemma for all actors in this sector. Donors, relief workers and displaced persons
were increasingly concerned about a displacement situation that was taking longer than expected.
Seen initially as a temporary situation, the displacement was now assuming a permanent character.
By late 1993, the IDPs began to manifest a degree of dependency syndrome. The majority were
relying entirely on relief assistance (Rogge 1993). Additionally, displacement was creating a host
of social ills and negative transformations that threatened prospects for peaceful return and
rehabilitation. 7 Donors, particularly those funding development activities before the clashes, began
to show signs of fatigue and reluctance to continue funding relief activities. They began to press
NGOs to revert to development activities. So strong was pressure from donors that they
threatened some NGOs with withdrawal of funding. This would require these NGOs to pull out of
the operation. Those NGOs that chose to stay had to transcend relief assistance quickly and
engage in rehabilitation and development. 8 Pressure from donors disposed NGOs to focus on
returning IDPs and infusing peace building into development programmes as a primary component.
The WPCC’s response to the pressure was to extend its original mandate. It went from
providing relief to organising and conducting peace and reconciliation activities and workshops.
Between mid-August and the end of September 1994, WPCC organised seventeen peace
workshops. Beyond these workshops, they adopted no single peace building model. Each agency
engaged different strategies and frameworks to build peace. As an actor with long-term
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