In advance of the Kenyan elections, two of the topics identified by the WHRD Toolkit Organisers (TOs) were Election Preparedness and Wellbeing and Self-care. PBI Kenya, with support from the Irish Embassy, held a two-day workshop on these topics. Regina Opondo, from the Constitution and Reform Education Consortium, gave the training and it focused on the needs of TOs in the settlements in the immediate election period. The first session looked at the three phases of the election cycle: pre; during; and post, what ought to be happening at this period and the various risks that can occur at each phase. The second session focused on possible outcomes of the election (chances for a credible election, chances for a peaceful election) and ways in which individuals could mitigate these risks. The TOs then developed localised risk assessments for their settlements; outlining the possible risks as individuals, members of organisations and communities.
The second part of this workshop focused on wellbeing and self-care. These sessions were designed to address the risks of human rights work: compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary and vicarious trauma, and stress, and to create a safe space for the WHRDs to participate in their own self-care. The sessions dealt with how activists can sustain their mental health and energy and addressed how it is necessary to take care of oneself despite their work meaning that they are dealing with traumatic issues and placing themselves in dangerous conditions often.