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Wednesday, 02 August 2023 10:19
Restoring the dignity of adolescent girls
Proper menstrual health and hygiene is crucial for the promotion of good health and well-being among women and girls globally. Poor menstrual hygiene has been linked to reproductive health risks that can lead to infection and often times infertility. Cultural taboos, norms, and superstitions associated with menstruation cause stigma and shame among women and adolescent girls. Local AHN partners with funding from diverse donors through Oxfam provide dignity kits to adolescent girls and trains them on proper usage, These kits have sanitary pads, soap and other items that enable the young girls be able to still attend school and carry out her daily activities even during their period. Khadija and Hafsa and other girls in Mandera are beneficiaries of the dignity kits and have also received talks on proper menstrual hygiene from female community health workers. The teenage girls no longer have to miss school for several days each month.…
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Wednesday, 02 August 2023 08:54
Multipurpose cash transfer a lifeline for populations in drought-affected populations
Local organisations in the AHN network, with support from different partners have been implementing emergency drought response. The Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) is one of the most effective an emergency response to the drought situation. The initiative targets vulnerable members of the community adversely affected by emergency situations and aims at giving people the dignity to make their own choices during a crisis. This emergency response delivers fast and direct assistance to the identified vulnerable households and provides them the dignity of choosing their most pressing need to spend the cash on. A through process of selection and verification of these households is undertaken by the local organisations, in partnership with the local community leaders and members. Not only the small earning helped me re-ignite my business but all the people who owed me money were able to pay me back when they received the cash transfer disbursement. Besides this,…
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Wednesday, 02 August 2023 06:47
At the core of the community: The effectiveness of local organisations in humanitarian response
The Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL), which cover close to 80% of the land mass in Kenya stretch all the way from Turkana and West Pokot in the North West to Marsabit in the North and Mandera county at the furthest North Eastern point, down towards Tanariver, Kilifi and Kwale counties in the South eastern part of Kenya. The ASALs are home to approximately 36% of the country’s population, 70% of the national livestock and 90% of the wildlife. The residents of the ASALs earn their living through a mix of pastoralism and agriculture. Pastoralism is the main source of livelihood to millions of people residing in the Kenyan ASAL areas and contributes 13% to the GDP of Kenya. and contributes to both the economic and socio-cultural aspects of the community. However, the changing climate and other global and regional dynamics have threatened the livelihoods of the communities in the…
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Tuesday, 06 June 2023 15:18
Beyond Cash Transfers: The Indirect impacts of drought response initiatives
Nearly 175 Kms away from Garissa town is Bullo village, in Lagdera subcounty. The impact of the prevailing drought is evident in the surrounding environment. The trees have lost their leaves and dead livestock and wildlife litter the open fields as you travel from Garissa town to Bullo Village. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) estimated that as at January 2023, 4.4 million people in Kenya (27% of the ASAL population) were facing high levels of Acute Food Insecurity. Projections indicate that this situation will worsen in the Mar to May 2023 period with more than 5.2 million people facing acute food insecurity. Most alarming is that this is the highest recorded magnitude and severity of food insecurity in decades. Photo 1 - Effects of drought in Garissa County (Photo - PGI) The National Drought Management Authority, (NDMA) latest monthly report indicates that the drought situation in 20 of…
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Thursday, 11 May 2023 11:29
President Ruto recognizes Marsabit Women’s Advocate as national hero
Nuria Gollo sits at the helm of the Marsabit Women Advocacy and Development Organisation (MWADO) as the CEO. She eludes an air of confidence and fearlessness, one that comes from many years of tirelessly advocating for women’s and girl’s rights in a patriarchal culture. Nuria, an active member of the ASAL Humanitarian Network, is among the 200 Kenyans recognized as National heroes by President William Ruto during the Mashujaa Day celebrations in 2022. This recognition is definitely well deserved. For more than two decades, she has been the voice for the voiceless women and girls in Marsabit County. Her passion for the betterment of their welfare and empowerment can be felt in her voice as she describes the challenges women and girls face in the pastoralist community from early marriages, domestic violence, Sexual-Based Gender Violence (SBGV) and Female genital Mutilation (FGM).
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Thursday, 11 May 2023 10:32
Cash transfers give families hope for a meal
Story by Mohamed Mohamud, Pastoralist Girls Initiative (PGI) - Garissa Habiba Omar Abdullah a single mother of five, three boys (Ali Hassan 13yrs Abdelfattah Hassan 7yrs and Aden Hassan 4yrs ) and two girls ( Fardosa Hassan,10yrs and Habiba Hassan 1yrs 6months), She lives in a small structure grass Hurt in Qaal Aaar village Lagdera sub county Garissa county. Habiba lost her husband five years ago after he had been ill for a year and she struggles to rise her five children., Habiba’s late husband left 20 goats and 5 cows which have been her source of livelihood. Unfortunately, in the current drought she lost 15 goats and four cows. The remaining five goats and one cows, have migrate in search of water and pasture. The drought has greatly affected the community’s source of livelihood. Habiba compares the situation before the drought and currently, she shows the kind of impact…
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Thursday, 11 May 2023 10:09
"Drought almost killed us, but the monthly cash support came in handy"
Story by Mohamed Turane, ALDEF - Wajir Ahmed Sheikh is living with disability but truly abled in many ways. He is actively attending to a few errands in the homestead. He comes from Ogorale Location, which is one of the locations that are worst affected by drought in Wajir County. I have paid him a courtesy call to have a chat, one that explores a village life of a man who has embraced pastoralism as a way of life, just like his many village neighbors. I begin with the common icebreakers, the random conversations that set the ground for a friendly talk. I plan to let Ahmed freely speak, to share his story under the biting climate induced frustrations. He knows I work with a local organization implementing the Multi-Purpose Cash Transfer Program in the area, a program that he is a beneficiary. And to begin, I ask how life…
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Wednesday, 05 April 2023 09:52
Restoring hope and dignity in the midst of the drought: The story of Asli from Wajir
In Kenya, approximately 3.5 million people (24% of the ASAL population) are facing high level of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3[1] or above). This is a 10% increase from the same period in a year ago. The 2021-2022 drought has been the longest in recorded history and the most severe with massive livelihood losses and widespread displacement of people. As at September 2022, Wajir county was listed as one of the adversely affected regions in Kenya, with more than 45% of its population acutely affected by the drought.[2] This situation put at great risk the livelihoods of the populations who greatly depend on pastoralism for their livelihoods. Asli Dugow Qaaris, 50, is a mother of ten and a resident of Kursi village in the outskirts of Wajir town. Asli, like many other community members has felt the dire effects of the drought that has claimed their valued livetock leaving…
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Wednesday, 05 April 2023 09:50
Water is life and proper sanitation is dignity!
In the ASAL region of Kenya, each drop of water counts therefore its safe storage comes in handy during drought emergencies. Kheyra Mohamed Ali is a mother in Burmayo location, Tarbaj sub county in Wajir County and one of the beneficiaries of the SIDA Multi-purpose Cash Transfer through ALDEF Kenya. Her household was on the verge of starvation when the SIDA intervention started in April 2022. In addition, to getting Kshs 9255 ($76), she also received a 20-litre and a 100-litre plastic jerrycans to safely store water for her domestic use. She was also provided with 36 pieces of water purifier for the use of water purification. “The jerican came in hand during this drought season because we couldn’t afford to buy before” Khera said remorsefully. “Since I received the 100-litre jerrycan, the duration of sustaining water at my homestead has increased and the probability of contracting water-borne diseases reduced…
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Wednesday, 05 April 2023 09:48
MZEE GURACHA’S LIFE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER OXFAM-AHN CASH INTERVENTION.
Guracha Bante Arero is an elderly man from Ellebor location, living in one of the ASAL regions in Kenya. Guracha is the head of a family of six, three male and three females. He was a beneficiary of the Multipurpose Cash Transfer initiative in November 2021. Guracha reiterates that being part of the beneficiaries for this cash intervention is nothing short of a blessing in disguise, he receives money every other month. He described this intervention as a lifesaving scheme that they’ll live to appreciate for the rest of their lifetime. “Yes, were it not for this cash transfer, loss of human life would have been inevitable,” He affirms while smiling. How it has been before the intervention? Mr. Guracha has four children; two girls and two boys who have no source of income and live with him. His wife is living with disability and Guracha is the sole bread…
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Wednesday, 05 April 2023 09:42
Restoring the dignity of adolescent girls in Alungu village, Mandera County
Proper menstrual health and hygiene is crucial for the promotion of good health and well-being among women and girls worldwide. Poor menstrual hygiene has been linked to reproductive health risks that can lead to infection and often times infertility. Cultural taboos, norms, and superstitions associated with menstruation cause stigma and shame among women and adolescent girls. This has significant impact on the lives of vulnerable women and girls, who are frequently forced to use unhygienic alternatives such as old pieces of clothing as sanitary pads. This causes discomfort and increases the risk of reproductive and urinary tract infections because they are frequently washed without soap and dried indoors due to shame around menstruation. Additionally, the lack of adequate water, compounded by poor or no information on proper hygiene and sanitation robs the girls and women dignified and proper menstruation hygiene practices and products. These challenges particularly among school-going girls lead…
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