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With enormous sorrow, we report the death of Peace Direct’s Patron, Dekha Ibrahim Abdi. Dekha and Peace Direct worked closely together in our early years, pioneering with Dekha a Rapid Response Fund which aimed to deal with conflicts in the northern part of Kenya, where a few days ago Dekha was involved in a serious car accident, which killed her husband and driver, and eventually led to her death as well.
No-one who met Dekha will ever forget her. She was passionately and wholeheartedly committed to peacebuilding, from the early days of the Wajir Peace and Development Committee in the mid-1990s and equally effective working in the field, and as a trainer and facilitator. We saw at first hand how effective she was when she contriubted to our Young Muslims Speak project in 2006.Perhaps her greatest moment, professionally, was as convenor of Concerned Citizens for Peace, a group of five eminent people who came together as the violence was breaking after the 2007 Presidential elections. Over the next weeks, CCP worked tirelessly to harness the energies of ordinary citizens, university Vice Chancellors, mobile phone companies, veterans, and all the many branches of civil society who did so much, with little recognition, to prevent the violence overwhelming Kenya. I vividly remember Dekha describing this process to a group of journalists in the UK, speaking fluently and without pause for an hour, and holding them spellbound.
Dekha was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 2007.
To find out more about Dekha’s peacebuilding work, please visit this page
Carolyn Hayman, 14 July 2011
Stories from other projects
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After the riots that cost over 100 young lives in Kashmir in 2010, this year has seen signs of hope for improvements in the relationship between the Indian and Pakistani governments. Away from the negotiating tables, peacebuilder Ashima Kaul is building on this mood to foster understanding across the divided communities of Jammu and Kashmir.
Read full storySri Lankans come together after flooding
In January 2011 floods hit Sri Lanka. Local peacebuilder Dishani works with young people and religious leaders to build connections and understanding betweem communities. As the floods hit the Batticaloa region, it was these connections that the people called upon to help them when they most needed it.
10 Responses to “The tragic loss of peacebuilder Dekha Ibrahim Abdi”
Hearing the death of Dekha is really a shocking news to the people who love peace and believe in the legacies of reconciliation. She puts her footprint in many conflict prone situations by dedicating her life to create peace. Dekha may not come back again and preach us peace and reconciliation but her life experience and success stories will sustain with us forever!
Let’s pray for the soul of Dekha to rest in peace forever!!!!
I am really shocked and deeply saddened with the tragic loss of Dekha Ibrahim. This came one a week when we were looking forward to meeting her in Ethiopia for the launch of a center for peace and development studies at Haramaya University on June 23, 2011. I knew Dekha in 2010 as a trainer and she has ever since become my great icon. I was impressed with her every action and every word that came out of her mouth. I always cited her as an inspirational peace builder who dedicated her life in making the world a peaceful place. Her mere presence had the power to change the atmosphere. One thing is for sure, Dekha’s death is a big loss to Africans and all who wish to make the world a peaceful place. I am glad to have known her and received knowledge from her everlasting wisdom of life. We, at Haramaya University, are in a total grief. My thoughts are with her family, friends and loved ones at this tough time.
So tragic! Rest in peace Dekha; you’ll be greatly missed!
Am really saddened by the death of Dekha, i came to know her during a USAID workshop in Mombasa on conflict early warning and response in preparation for referendum in Kenya and Sudan. She was a skilled facilitator and respected different views. May her soul rest in peace!
What a sad loss, The world is worse off without Dekha. May God rest her soul in eternal peace.
I might not have known her personaly but have been with her children for sure she was an icon in this war prone sphere earth,miss her cannot be the word but we will always cherish her in however way we can,in our thouhgts action we will dearly miss her.inanilahi wa inailahi rajicun.
Dekha, our Sister, true to her thoughtfulness and care for others, held onto life for some days to make it possible for as many of us as possible to say goodbye, some physically, some in prayer, others through messages. Dekha, we miss you. We promise to continue the good work faithfully. Your smile and true warmth will forever remain with us and guide us, especially when things prove difficult, till we meet again. May you rest in Eternal Peace.
I have known and worked with Dekha for years. The day her husband was being buried, before I had heard news of the accident, I called her number several times (something I had been doing over some time without success), and left her a voice message asking her why she has been quiet for months.
This loss is a terrible tragedy for her family, for all who worked with her, and for the efforts to bring about peaceful change and build peace and justice. Dekha, we met only a few times but you touched my heart each time with your clear thinking, determination and commitment, warmth, kindness, and love for the world and its peoples. May you rest in peace. Your work will continue and through it you will continue to be with us.
Dekha as a peace activist has become an inspirational individual for me and millions of other people around the world. I hope we can all continue her efforts and peace building initiatives. May her soul rest in PEACE. Ameen.
I know Dekha Abdi Ibrahim as a trainer. She trained me and my other colleagues on peace, conflict and mediation strategies. Dekha is simply a great person. Her untimely death is a great loss to the world. her death while driving to resolve conflicts and repair misunderstanding signifies that she was really a person born for peace and love. Her powerful and honest commitment to peace and love makes her the best representative of peace. She is sincere, concerned and strategic on peace matters. She has a deep understanding of how peace is jeopardized and rebuilt. Dekha devoted her personal and family life to create peace and peaceful conditions for others. She remains to be remembered as a peace and love hero. May Allah weigh up her good deeds and put her up unto Jennah
I first met Dheka in 2003. I benefited from her input at Responding to Conflict Centre in Birmingham UK. Her position as a distinguished facilitator and peace building practitioner will be appreciated by those she has served and interacted with. She so energetically initiated and was among the brains behind the formation of the National Steering Committee on Peace Building and Conflict Management – now under Office of the President. Kenya will miss her input as discussions to conclude the peace policy reach the tail end. James Ndung’u – Saferworld Kenya Project Coordinator