Cluster meetings bring whole communities together to solve shared problems. We sat in on one to see how consensus is actually built.
A cluster meeting is deceptively simple: gather farmers, pastoralists, local leaders and TISER facilitators in one place, and give everyone a voice. But the structure behind it is what makes consensus possible.
Facilitators open by setting ground rules — respect, no interruptions, and a focus on solutions rather than blame. Each group then describes the season from their perspective, and common ground is mapped on the spot.
By the end of the session, the community has a written set of commitments and a small committee to uphold them. Because the agreements come from the people themselves, they hold.
It is slow, patient work. It is also how lasting peace is actually built — one honest conversation at a time.
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