2013 Advocate Absolom Shalakha

Absolom Shalakha’s peacebuilding work began in 2007 during Kenya’s national elections. While conducting interviews throughout the country for a research position he held at the time, Absolom witnessed young people’s overt discrimination against one of his coworkers due to her ethnicity. After the election, such discrimination became increasingly violent, and he decided to contribute to building a more peaceful society in his country. Absolom began traveling out of Nairobi to speak with youth groups around the country. This led him to volunteer with PeaceNet Kenya, which later hired him to work on HIV/AIDS awareness and outreach in remote communities. His next assignment with PeaceNet Kenya involved collaborating with other organizations on the Uwiano Platform for Peace, a UN-funded monitoring and response system that brought together peace actors to respond to reports of violence and hate speech during the 2013 elections. Absolom is currently the Early Response Coordinator at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a position through which he engages with inter-communal mediation processes throughout Nigeria. 

Absolom is pictured at an event organized by PeaceNet Kenya at a camp for IDPs. Photo credit: Silvano Ateka.