D-PRIVE stands for Diminishing the Prevalence of Radicalization into Violent Extremism. This program was developed to counteract and delegitimize extremists’ rhetoric, narratives, and ideologies through championing ideological ‘push backs’ activities, and counter narratives through counter-messaging.

The Peace Center (CSCR, Center for Sustainable Conflict Resolution) and Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies is implementing DPRIVE program to address the impact of recruitment to radicalization into violent extremism and terrorism. This program was designed with three program pillars to support D-PRIVE, namely: Deep and extreme Dialogues (DD, ED, and DED), Disruption of Extremists’ Narratives, and CVE capacity building. The Peace Center is engaging the radicalized and ‘at risk’ individuals in selected communities in Deep and Extreme Dialogue fora approach, and then involve some of them as interventionists to Disrupt Extremist Narratives offline and online, while at the same time building capacity to prevent and counter radicalization in their communities (CVE).

Program Objectives

1. Promotion of Deep and Extreme Dialogues (DD, ED, and DED) to amplify and strengthen the existing ideological ‘push back’ initiatives.
2. Disruption of Extremist’s Narratives (DEN) by further denying, disrupting, and interfering with the physical and cyber or virtual spaces used by violent extremists and terrorist organizations.
3. Capacity-Building to Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) by building capacity of local and religious leaders, influencers, and women leaders to counter-messages in target communities

The first activity was to develop the BRAVE Handbook as a tool to ensure the achievement of the set objectives. The second activity was validation of the modules contained in the BRAVE Handbook by the experts from various disciplines at the penultimate stage of development of the Handbook. Experts involved in this work including Religious Leaders, Psychologists, Educationists and academicians in the presence of the authors. Third activity was Deep Dialogue (DD) in Isiolo that took place on 8 and 9 December 2019 where participants were mobilized from different parts of Isiolo County; i.e. Merti, Garbatulla, and other locations in Isiolo town. Among the participants were reformed extremists, highly vulnerable and at-risk individuals, and influential youth leaders in Isiolo from football clubs, schools, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), colleges, local media, and community leadership.