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Silver Spring, MD (April 18, 2014) – Global Communities’ Selline Korir recently received the prestigious Mitek Pemper Award of Augsburg University for Reconciliation and International Understanding for her work as the Director of the Kenya Tuna Uwezo program. Kenya Tuna Uwezo (“We have the power” in Kiswahili), a Global Communities’ program implemented with support from USAID, works to reduce politically motivated and inter-ethnic conflict within informal settlements across Nairobi. It focuses on strengthening social networks among residents and civil society to help them collaborate on community issues and address grievances. As Program Director, Korir works closely with local residents, especially young people, who serve as catalysts for creating dialogue and champions for peace.
In their selecting of Korir for the honor, the award jurors cited noted her “outstanding humanitarian commitment” in her work to promote reconciliation and conflict mitigation. They were also impressed by the “diverse strategies for communication and interaction” she used in her work and her ability “to find highly innovative solutions to complex problems.”
“For anyone who has seen the work Selline and her colleagues are doing in Kenya, this award should not come as a surprise,” said David Weiss, President and CEO of Global Communities. “Her dedication to working with the community to help move beyond past grievances is an inspiration not only to everyone at Global Communities, but to all those around the world committed to peace, stability, and reconciliation.”
Prior to working for Global Communities, Korir served as the Director of the Rural Women Peace Link, a network of grassroots women's organization operating in areas affected by armed conflicts in western Kenya. Korir co-found the Rural Women Peace Link to respond to the women-specific concerns and issues that resulted from ethnic clashes.
Korir is a graduate of the Africa Peace Building Institute, Zambia, with extensive orientation and exposure in conflict and peace building processes. She holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Shivaji University, India.
The Mietek Pemper Award of Augsburg University for Reconciliation and International Understanding was established to honor the legacy of the Peace of Augsburg (1555), which has earned Augsburg the designation “City of Peace.” The award is given to individuals or institutions that have made major contributions towards reconciling different peoples, ethnic groups, and religious communities. The Mietek Pemper Award is dedicated to acknowledging outstanding, sustainable, and unconventional achievements in the area of mediating in and solving secular conflicts in politics and society. The first recipient of the Mietek Pemper Award was former U.N. Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte in 2007, and the second was Mr. Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2009. In 2012 the award was given to Khaled Abu Awwad and Nir Oren, Managers of the Parents Circle Families Forum in Israel and Palestine.
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