Humanitarian System

Natural disasters, such as floods, landslides and recurrent droughts have increased over the years, eroding the coping mechanisms of people, contributing to displacements, destruction of livelihood assets, and increasing poverty and inequalities of marginalised people. The government, with support from donors and INGOs, has improved resilience efforts and emergency response. The National Drought Management Authority and the National Contingency Fund have been established to strengthen resilience to drought, and to improve early warning and early action. Kenya Red Cross Society has been mandated as the first responder by the government, with support from non-state actors, when needed.

Oxfam works with partners to support communities build and strengthen their resilience to natural disasters, such as floods, landslides and recurrent droughts, which have increased over the years. Oxfam in Kenya aims to have state and non state actors prepared to prevent and respond early to humanitarian crises while upholding gender equality. Over the next five years, Oxfam will increasingly focus on providing technical assistance to national/county government, and other regional and national organisations to effectively respond to crises in their different categories.

What does success look like?

1. Women and men in crisis prone areas are informed and taking preventative measures, earlier, to slow onset crises by 2030
2. National and County governments, Kenya Red Cross, and other key stakeholders demonstrate sufficient internal capacity to engage in early warning and no regrets action and to effectively respond to crises by 2030.
3. Communities become resilient and adaptive to the increasingly dynamic climate.
4. Increased community participation and leadership in projects that touch on their livelihoods.

PROJECTS DISTRIBUTION

IBIS food security and resilience building program in Marsabit

In Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) region, women and girls are often disproportionately affected by droughts, food insecurity, and conflicts. Gender norms and roles normalize violence and often limit the agency and mobility of women and girls, limiting opportunities for their participation and leadership in decision making and increasing their vulnerability to the effects of droughts, food insecurity, and conflict. Studies highlight the intersectionality of gender with other forms of marginalization, including poverty, ability, ethnicity, religion etc. 

GBV and FGM remain significant problems in the ASAL region in Kenya, with women and girls being the most affected. Whilst the national FGM prevalence has dropped a few percentage points, the ASAL region prevalence remains higher than the national average at 98%. Climatic disasters pose a disproportionate impact on women and girls who search for water for long hours given that 90% of open water sources have dried up, leading to increased trekking distances (10-15km), increasing the risk of SGBV, abduction of girls, and girls dropping out of school which is associated with low literacy rate, low income, child and early marriage and teenage pregnancy. Child marriage continue to be witnessed as families marry off their girls to pay for food and restock their livestock because of the cyclic drought episodes, latest one being the deadly 2021-23. Recent reports highlight the vulnerability of women and girls in the ASAL region to SGBV due to the drought experiences, displacement, and socio-economic challenges and note that women and girls are disproportionately affected by humanitarian crises, and their needs and rights are often neglected.

Oxfam is partnering with the Marsabit Women Advocacy Development Organization (MWADO) in Marsabit and Pastoralist Girls Initiative (PGI) in Garissa to support communities affected by climate emergencies (drought and flood), and food insecurity with community group cash grants through the Survivor and Community-Led Response (SCLR) approach.  SCLR model recognises that crisis-affected people are the first and last responders in any disaster and allows humanitarian aid to better strengthen the communal resilience of affected people. It uses microgrants to transfer power and resources to existing and emergent community self-help groups and organisations that mobilise during every crisis, allowing for the rapid provision of additional assistance to scale up interventions and increase their impact. By supporting women-led community groups, Oxfam puts crisis affected people at the centre of the response, ensuring their voices are heard and shaping decision-making, while enhancing humanitarians’ accountability. Community groups are critical actors in highlighting and advocating for changes, identifying solutions, and responding to issues in their own communities in manner that best serves the community through a bottom-up approach.

In addition to community group cash transfers, Oxfam and partners are providing multi-purpose cash assistance and gender protection services to the most drought-affected women and their families, to strengthen the community-based protection and resilience in a gender-responsive manner.

The program is funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)

2. Australian Aided climate recovery and resilience program

While there have been significant rains after the deadly drought period witnessed in 2020-23, critical food security situation remains, mainly due to the lingering impact of the prolonged and severe drought (the worst in over 40 years), which affected livelihoods during the period and which resulted in consecutive failed harvests and widespread livestock deaths (FAO, 2023). The Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) projects that close to 5.4 million people are currently facing acute food insecurity (IPC 3+) and that both Turkana and Marsabit Counties are experiencing acute food insecurity (50% in Turkana and 55% in Marsabit) with 15% facing IPC 4 (emergency) outcomes. The 2022 Short Rains Assessment (2022 SRA) notes that Laisamis in Marsabit County and parts of Turkana are experiencing extremely critical malnutrition situation. 

Despite the short-term improvements in forage and water resources across the ASALs, according to FEWSNET, majority of the households continue to face severe food insecurity occasioned by a combination of factors such as: below average access to food and income; poor goat-to-maize terms-of-trade, (a proxy for household purchasing power, which still remains at 52% below the five-year average. In parts of both Turkana and Marsabit Counties, water access for human and livestock remains a challenge since the water pans and dams have not recharged to their capacity while boreholes and shallow wells—the common sources for water in the region—are yielding low volumes due to low recharge. This is also leading to longer waiting times and the risk of pump breakdown. Without safe water for household use disease outbreaks increase and negatively impact the wellbeing of children and other vulnerable people.

Consequently, Oxfam in Kenya through funding from the Australian Government working with three independent national partner organizations (SND, PACIDA and TUPADO) are implementing a project to mitigate the impacts of the drought in Marsabit and Turkana Counties. Oxfam and partners conducted extensive consultation for the design of this response that complements ongoing programs implemented by Oxfam in partnership with AHN and SND/PACIDA in Marsabit County, TUPADO in Turkana County, and within the wider ASALs of Kenya. AHN, a membership network of 30 local organizations (local NGOs, including Women’s Rights Organizations-WROs), covering 10 of the worst drought-affected counties, is coordinating the drought response within the framework of local humanitarian leadership and has, since early 2022, provided humanitarian assistance with support from Oxfam to 207,565 people comprising of 50,088 women, 51,036 girls, 49,925 men and 56,516 boys.

The DFAT project therefore seeks address:

Food insecurity and malnutrition - through Multi- Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) in the form of monthly Cash Transfers comprising 50% of the current Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB). The MPCA is estimated at KES 9,063.5 per month for Marsabit and KES 9427.5 for Turkana. The MPCA is being provided to 1500 drought affected households (HHs) - 800 HHs in Marsabit and 700 in Turkana County reaching 9,800 program participants, including approximately 3,080 women, 2,590 girls, 980 men and 3,150 boys. These HHs are those already enrolled in the Government’s Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP). They were receiving a top-up amount to ensure 50% of the Minimum Expenditure Basket. Specific attention being given to families at risk of resorting to early child marriage as an extreme coping mechanism.  The MPCA is expected to improve HH food security, health, and nutrition through improved HH food consumption scores, dietary diversity, reduced adoption of negative coping strategies, and improved capacities to meet their basic needs.

Acute water stress and public health risks exacerbated by the drought - through tailored Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and public health measures. Drought response programming evidence has shown that WASH related diseases like diarrhoea are a major problem in the locations targeted by the project. Mortality and morbidity related to waterborne diseases directly impacts household productivity and income, hence contributing to food insecurity at the household level. Diarrhoea also contributes to poor nutrient absorption leading to malnutrition among children and women, especially pregnant and lactating women. Hygiene promotion is essential to reducing the incidence of the diseases through improved public health indicators. This project supports hygiene promotion activities which will lead to healthier population thus enabling the targeted households and communities to engage in productive and income generation activities.  Improved health will also have a direct impact on the reduction of healthcare related costs.

With the technical support from Oxfam, SND and TUPADO are implementing the WASH component, ensuring that 6100 HHs (41,600 persons) have access to safe water and can reduce their drought related public health risks. Three water systems (boreholes) are being rehabilitated to provide clean water to 3000 HHs (18,000 people) and public health promotion/messaging focusing on practices to reduce risk of diarrhoea and WASH related disease will reach 41,600 people. The community resource persons (the Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) who are involved in the project are leading community engagement activities like community dialogues. The CHVs are also guiding and delivering integrated messages, which include nutrition education, which is essential in improving food security outcomes. The 1400 HHs enlisted for MPCA are also receiving NFIs (Non-Food Items) through e-voucher redeemable at Community based vendors. The NFIs include, water storage containers, cleaning detergents, Point-of-Use (POU) water treatment products and dignity kits. Dignity kits contain items for menstrual hygiene for girls and women, as identified during the consultation with communities and the department of health. In all the villages that are receiving the MPCA and WASH, Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) activities have also been conducted to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status through certification of the 20 target villages by the Ministry of Health. Water infrastructure, sanitation and hygiene promotion are also being provided in 20 remote schools and 10 health facilities as deemed appropriate.

Gender and protection concerns facing drought-affected communities, resulting from the breakdown of family and community protection structures and the stress of extreme financial hardship resulting from the drought coupled with the historical unequal power relations between men and women and pervasive discrimination against women. In line with the Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Plan a contextual analysis of gender and power relations, informs the design, implementation, monitoring and reporting of Project activities. Conflicts over resources continue to occur in the two counties with far-reaching gender violations with women and girls bearing the greatest brunt. Promotion of peace between communities is being achieved through facilitation of peace committees with religious leaders, community elders, and local authorities and the development of a resource sharing roadmap. Community resource persons (CHVs) engaged by the project have been trained to raise awareness and champion gender and protection issues, including women participation and decision making on family income and nutrition. They are also empowered to support the delivery of integrated messages and information on food security and nutrition within the target locations.

The program, currently in its 2nd year, is implemented in Marsabit, Turkana, Garissa and Tana River Counties. Oxfam is partnering with four partner -Turkana Pastoralists Development Organization (TUPADO), Pastoralist Community Initiative and Development Assistance (PACIDA), Strategies for Northern Development (SND) and Pastoralist Girls Initiative (PGI) in the referenced counties.

3. Cross-border climate recovery and resilience program

The Ethiopia-Kenya border, also known as the Moyale, according to IGAD, is a promising borderland region with great potential to advance mutually beneficial integration. Gabra and Borena are the two main communities inhabiting this area, and are grappling with existential threat of starvation due to severe drought. 

Despite their rivalry, which often escalates into conflict, these two communities are homogeneous, practicing inter-group marriages, speaking the same language, largely occupying the same land, and share natural resources such as water and pasture. Pastoralism and informal cross-border business are the main economic mainstay. Despite the huge potential to advance social integration, Moyale border area is characterized by poorly developed physical infrastructure, remoteness from the respective capitals (Nairobi and Addis Ababa), and low school enrolment rates combined with low literacy levels, poor education indicators and high poverty levels. All the development indexes in this cross-border area are much lower than the national averages of the respective countries. The population is largely mobile, and their movement is not confined to one country, but transcends international boundaries. 

In Marsabit County over 98 percent of all open water sources across the County had dried up by March 2023 and though rains arrived on the second quarter of 2023, doesn’t undo the impact of three years of drought and sunny and dry conditions in June will probably mean that water levels of open water sources are likely to gradually reduce again. The county reported 122,780 cattle have been lost, as IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), March to May 2023 well as 535, 972 goats, 511,054 sheep and 82,841 camels between October 2022 and January 2023. According to the January 2023 SMART survey report, the global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate for the county is at 22.3 percent and IPC data shows 309,176 people in IPC 3+ in the county, which represents 60% of the entire population[2]. 

Similarly, Borena is a pastoral livelihood zone located in the Oromia Regional State of Southern part of Ethiopia. Livestock is the most important vital source of food and income. The zone has a population of about 1.7 illion, with 91 percent of which reside in rural areas. 80 percent of the zone is arid and 20 percent semi-arid. According to January 2023 Borana zone drought assessment report, 34,469 households completely lost all the livestock, 3.3 million cattle have died, 867,140 persons are in need of immediate food assistance and 883,788 people need urgent water rationing[3]. There are also reported cases of measles outbreak (127 confirmed cases) and other diarrheal diseases. The zone GAM Rate is at 16.04%.

Due to the prolonged drought and deterioration of their livelihood about 68,931 families (378,043 individuals) are sheltered in host community and IDP sites. Among the IDPs are 51,692 are children who are in urgent child protection needs. According to the zone education office more than 7,800 students have been forced out of school as the impact of the drought gets severe.

At both sides of the border gender roles and burden of care have shifted, with more women carrying the bigger burden of assuming productive roles of taking care of families and meeting their basic needs. Risks of gender-based violence (GBV) have also increased, as women and girls are forced to travel far distances to fetch water, while in other cases they are often left alone while family members are away looking for food or livelihood opportunities. Rape incidents and early marriage cases have reportedly heightened in the zone. 

Oxfam in partnership with Strategies for Northern Development (SND), is currently supporting ten groups, equally drawn across Kenya and Ethiopia. The project seeks to build resilience of vulnerable climate-affected households in the Ethiopian and Kenyan Moyale corridor by promoting community-led recovery efforts in cross border vulnerable climate-affected communities in the Moyale border.