Knowledge Management, Cultural Documentation, Communication Capacity & NELD Integration

1. Overview

The Queen of Peace Initiative (QPI) is strengthening its institutional capacity by enhancing knowledge management, communication, and cultural documentation systems. These efforts ensure that community experiences including cultural identity, indigenous knowledge, and non-economic losses are captured, preserved, and shared effectively.

This brief outlines achievements in capacity strengthening, knowledge product development, and learning dissemination, with a special focus on documenting and enhancing communication skills among staff and targeted participating community groups.

2. Why This Work Matters

Strengthening QPI’s communication and knowledge management systems is vital for preserving Indigenous knowledge, amplifying community voices, and supporting long-term climate resilience.

By documenting traditional practices such as the use of traditional containers, indigenous trees, and cultural ornaments among Turkana women, QPI protects valuable cultural heritage at risk of disappearing.

Improved communication enables women, youth, and other marginalized groups to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives, while storytelling and multimedia documentation ensure their experiences guide program design.

These systems also play a central role in implementing the Non-Economic Loss and Damage (NELD) framework, helping communities understand cultural, social, and environmental losses linked to landscape changes.

Internally, stronger communication skills and learning structures build QPI’s capacity to document impact, share lessons, and plan more effectively.

3. Key Achievements

A. Foundation Building & Capacity Strengthening

• Developed a draft Knowledge Management Framework to guide documentation, storage, and information sharing within QPI.
• Established a simple internal content repository for photos, stories, reports, and field insights.

Staff trained in:

• Storytelling for impact
• Camera confidence and delivery
• Message framing and communication for development

Training sessions were highly experiential, involving role-play interviews, on-camera practice, peer sharing, and real-time feedback.

QPI leadership sharing powerful stories on camera, building confidence, clarity, and impact in every message.

B. Documentation of Indigenous Knowledge in Daaba (Turkana Community)

1. Traditional Containers

• Milk gourds and storage vessels
• Methods of crafting, maintenance, and their cultural symbolism
• Prestige associated with owning certain containers

Sabina showcases traditional Turkana milk gourds and storage vessels beautifully crafted, carefully maintained, and rich with cultural symbolism and prestige.

2. Indigenous Trees

• Local trees used to make containers, medicines, and ornaments
• Seasonal indicators observed through tree flowering and behavior
• Ecological and cultural roles

A Turkana elder shares the wisdom of local trees — sources of containers, healing medicines, ornaments, and seasonal indicators that guide community life.

3. Beadwork & Cultural Ornaments

• Meaning of colors and patterns
• Social identity expressed through beads
• Intergenerational transfer of skills

Beadwork by Turkana women showcases meaningful colors, social identity, and intergenerational craftsmanship vital to preserving cultural heritage.

On-Camera Interviews

• Elder women custodians of cultural knowledge
• Young Turkana men reviving lost practices
• NELD members reflecting on non-economic losses
• VSLA members linking savings groups to cultural dignity

These interviews form a valuable knowledge archive for learning, advocacy, and community heritage preservation.

NELD members articulate the cultural and non-economic losses facing their community.

C. Strengthening Communication Skills for NELD Participants

• Public speaking
• Audience engagement
• Sharing cultural knowledge with confidence

The sessions were participatory and empowering, using storytelling circles, mock presentations, group discussions, and practical exercises.

D. Knowledge Products Developed

• Photo and video documentation from Daaba
• On-camera interviews
• Training materials on communication and storytelling
• Written briefs on cultural knowledge and NELD
• Social media–ready stories and visual content

4. Dissemination & Learning

• Community storytelling forums
• Showcasing documentation during Peace and Culture Celebrations
• Sharing interviews and photographs on digital platforms
• Integrating lessons into VSLA and NELD training sessions

5. Impact at a Glance

• 34 VSLA groups engaged through cultural and NELD integration
• 5 communities reached through training and documentation activities
• Over 40 women directly involved in cultural knowledge sharing and interviews
• QPI staff equipped with improved communication and storytelling capacity
• Strengthened visibility and advocacy for non-economic climate losses

Conclusion

The Queen of Peace Initiative has made significant progress in strengthening its knowledge management and communication systems, documenting valuable cultural heritage, and building the skills of staff, VSLA members, and NELD participants.

Sustained investment will ensure QPI deepens its learning culture, broadens its communication reach, and safeguards the cultural identity and non-economic assets of Isiolo’s communities.