Archers for peace

Young boys from the Pokot tribe creep up on a bird with bows and arrows in hand, in Alale, Kenya, Sept. 25, 2014.

The majority of Pokot tribe boys in Alale are unable to attend school due to their daily duty of cattle herding and their role in the community as “warriors” to protect livestock from cattle rustlers of the neighboring Turkana tribe.

Dinah Hellen Chebitwey, a 52-year-old Early Childhood Education Program Officer of the West Pokot County, has for the last two years been teaching archery to the boys in an attempt to transform their skills into a means of peace-building.

Chebitwey hopes to engage her counterpart in Turkana to create a program where boys from the two rival communities can compete in archery to deepen exchanges and learn to embrace peace.

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A young Pokot boy aims at a target during a game of archery in Alale, which borders Uganda to the west and Turkana County to the north, about 370 miles northwest of the capital Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 25, 2014.

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Dinah Hellen Chebitwey, left, congratulates a young Pokot tribe boy who won an archery game in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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Young Pokot boys listen to Dinah Hellen Chebitwey during a church service in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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Dinah Hellen Chebitwey gives a talk during a church service in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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Young Pokot boys pose with their bows and arrows inside a church as Dinah Hellen Chebitwey gives a talk during a church service in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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A young Pokot boy prepares to herd camels near a hamlet in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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Young Pokot boys adjust their bows and arrows as they prepare to practice archery in a small hamlet in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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A Pokot woman sings during a church service in Alale. A bow and arrow set is seen resting against the wall, Sept. 25, 2014.

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Young Pokot boys run after winning a game of archery, in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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Young Pokot boys perform a jumping dance during a game of archery in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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The shadows of young Pokot boys are cast on the ground as they sing and dance with bows and arrows during a game of archery in Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.

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Young Pokot boys hold bows and arrows as they herd camels near Alale, Sept. 25, 2014.