In late 2012, Rahma mobilized other community members (including others who had lost their cattle) to acquire a piece of land as a group. The land lies along the River Tana which makes it ideal for farming activities. As land in the area is community-owned, this particular piece of land was subsequently allocated to them by the area chief and community elders. Rahma hoped that by farming this land, her community would increase their access to food, improving their resilience to droughts and other livelihood shocks.

In August 2012, Adeso started implementing the Community Agriculture Recovery and Economic Support (CARES) project in Garissa and Wajir counties with support from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The project covers two key areas – agriculture and food security and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) – and aims to promote community self-sufficiency and disaster risk reduction through promotion of alternative livelihoods. The project targets 4200 individuals  for agricultural activities such as training on farming techniques, and 84,000 individuals  for WASH activities, including the construction of sub-surface dams and shallow wells.

CARES follows an Integrated Community Based Targeting (ICBT) approach which promotes participatory processes at community level. Rahma’s farming syndicate was just one group selected to participate in the project’s agricultural activities. The selection process was carried out by a Village Relief Committee (VRC) made up of community members, which was established as part of the ICBT process. Rahma’s farming syndicate was selected based on the group’s activities, ideas and interest, and the viability of their alternative livelihood strategy.

Under CARES, Rahma and the rest of her 40-strong group created a farm – the only group farm of its kind in Warable village. The group also received agricultural training, for which Rahma is very thankful. “The CARES project has provided us with valuable trainings on land preparation and crop and fodder production. CARES has also provided pump sets with accessories, seeds and seedlings and essential farm tools”, she says.

The farm became operational on 1^st March 2013, and Rahma and her farm group are now putting their agricultural training into practice. Rahma is confident in a brighter future for herself and her children. She anticipates the first harvest of tomatoes at the end of May 2013.

Another great concern in Sanaag region is poor access to education for pastoral and fisher folk children. The periodic migration inherent to a nomadic lifestyle makes daily attendance to a fixed school largely impractical, while a lack of schools, poor teacher retention and high school fees mean that livestock rearing is often a more viable option than education.

In response to this, Abdullahi volunteered to serve his community as a teacher. Initially, he undertook this role without any support but his own belief that Allah will help him as he helps others. However, the community soon extended their support by temporarily providing him with an area of shade for use as a classroom. The new classroom lacked furniture, text books and other necessary facilities for teaching. For seating, any chairs available were made out of shrubs, and students often brought mats from their family homes. Overall, the classroom offered very limited protection against rain, sun and dust; elements known to affect daily life in Sanaag region.

From August 2012 to February 2013, Adeso implemented the Pastoral Education Project (PEP) with support from Finn Church Aid to improve access to quality education for pastoral children in Sanaag region, Somaliland/Somalia.  PEP targeted 18 schools – eight formal and 10 semi-pastoral – while establishing and maintaining three mobile schools. Activities included the provision of school subsidies and scholastic materials and capacity building of Community Education Committees (CECs) to support schools and ensure sustainable outcomes. PEP also focused on school enrolment drives, targeting school-age children (7 – 14 years old) and youths (15 – 25 years old) through mosques, meetings, the influence of elders and public address systems.  In addition, the project established child to child clubs, supporting them through a grant of $475 USD to implement activities that encourage peace-building and good governance.

During PEP, teachers from semi-pastoralist and mobile schools were trained on the Alternative Basic Education (ABE) Curriculum to give pastoral children the opportunity to access formal education. The ABE approach is more flexible in terms of time period and subjects studied, allowing students to ‘catch up’ and make the transition to formal primary and secondary schools.

The semi-pastoralist school of Durduri (among others) received monthly school subsidies of $100 USD over six months, which helped to improve access to education for pastoral children in the area, increasing the number of students to 35. Moreover, another school supported by PEP achieved a higher number of student enrolments than ever before – it had never had more than 15 students prior to the intervention.

Thanks to the grant received by the newly established local child to child club, Abdullahi now has a fully furnished classroom, complete with school materials provided by Adeso, including text books, a blackboard, chalk, solar lamps, and a tent to shield students from the outside elements.

]]> http://adesoafrica.org/pastoral-education-project-gives-pastoral-children-in-somalia-access-to-a-formal-education/feed/ 0 http://adesoafrica.org/adeso-takes-part-in-dihad-2013-in-dubai/ http://adesoafrica.org/adeso-takes-part-in-dihad-2013-in-dubai/#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:56:00 +0000 adesoadmin http://adesoafrica.org/?p=1568 From March 25-28^th 2013, Adeso took part in the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development (DIHAD) Conference and Exhibition Conference and Exhibition. The overall aim of this conference is to ‘contribute to the further enhancement of technically sound and principled international humanitarian and development assistance.’ Furthermore, DIHAD ‘endeavors to build bridges between various actors and countries from around the globe engaged in addressing needs of those affected by crises, disasters or the adverse effects of under-development.’

During the exhibition, Adeso staff members were available at a stand to share information about our work and answer questions, as well as to network with local, regional and global organizations and foundations also present at the event.

On Wednesday 28^th, our Executive Director, Degan Ali, spoke about Partnerships and Power during a panel on partnerships and the reaching of development goals.  She spoke about the progress made in the past decade towards greater inclusion of varied stakeholders into decision-making and implementation processes that surround development assistance. Southern voices are stronger than they were 20 years ago, and the value of contributions from non-traditional actors is recognized more now than ever before.

At the same time, she explained, what seems to be missing from many of these declarations is a discussion of what we mean by partnerships, and how they manifest themselves. What many of the current debates fail to acknowledge is the fact that implicit in any partnership are power dynamics, and different understandings of, and approaches to ‘reality’.

Partnerships are important to our work, and Adeso endeavors to partner with donors, INGOs, local NGOs, governments and communities where possible. But how often are partners really equal? And to what extent are partnerships and the dynamics within them dependent on what each party has and can bring to the table? When we enter into a partnership with a donor, they have the money, and we have the capacity to implement – but generally they set the conditions and we have to abide by them. Can we really speak of partnerships here, or are we in fact looking at contractual relationships? These relationships become even more evident when you add a third layer, with local NGOs receiving funds from INGOs acting as an intermediary with the original donor. Power differentials are transferred through a domino effect.

If we really want to increase the effectiveness of our development efforts, she explained, we must recognize these power differentials, and look at ways in which we can build more equal partnerships with local NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Ultimately though, we need to start devolving an increasing level of power and responsibility to the communities themselves, as without their genuine and equal involvement, development goals are likely to remain out of reach.

In Kenya’s arid lands, the recurrence of drought combined with the vulnerabilities of local populations continues to pose a serious challenge to development. The situation was worsened by the prolonged drought, from 2008-2011, which left nearly four million people in desperate need of assistance.

The drought was characterized by large livestock losses and severe socio-economic impacts on communities living in arid lands, most of which are located in Northern Kenya. It is against this background that the resilience and economic growth project was designed and will be implemented.

REGAL-IR is a five-year project funded by USAID as part of the Feed the Future (FtF) strategy for Kenya. The project covers Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Turkana and Wajir. These counties were selected because they had the highest number and percentage of households in need of food assistance during the 2011 drought.

The REGAL-IR project has adopted a community-owned and led strategic planning process known as Participatory Learning, Planning and Action (PLPA) which seeks to empower communities by making local stakeholders responsible for mapping local resources, identifying opportunities and threats, and identifying their own development priorities. This initial community engagement will be followed by the development of Community Development Action Plans that will drive REGAL-IR programs in the targeted Counties – in other words, the communities will be able to influence the shape the programs take.

The first step in the PLPA process was a series of scoping missions carried out in the project’s five target Counties. The purpose of these missions was to identify the organizations which are already implementing activities in the program areas and to identify opportunities and best practices regarding community development.

In March 2013, an inception workshop involving REGAL-IR partners was held in order to develop the tools and survey instruments that will be used to collect information. The workshop also served as an opportunity to introduce the key concepts of community consultations to project partners, and explain how the PLPA process is intended to contribute to the projects’ goals.

Following the inception workshop, REGAL-IR invited partners to a two week PLPA Training Workshop and Pilot held in nine rural communities in Ngare Mara Ward, Isiolo County in April 2013. The workshop included in-depth training on participatory community engagement techniques. The PLPA tools and survey instruments were also tested during a three day pilot in rural communities in Isiolo County. Starting in May, the REGAL-IR team will launch PLPA field missions across all five counties and begin its engagement in the many communities that will benefit from the project.

The REGAL-IR project is led by Adeso and implemented with partners, namely: Co2balance UK and its Kenyan subsidiary Carbon Zero Kenya (CZK), Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Shalom Center for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation (SCCRR), and Vétérinaires Sans Frontières-Suisse (VSF-S). 

In January 2013, Adeso started implementing the Water for Livestock (WfL) project in Garissa county with funding from Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC). The project aims to strengthen the capacities of local communities in sustainable management of water (including water supply) and rangeland resources, improving water access and availability. Activities in Jalango village include the construction of a subsurface dam and shallow well through Cash for Work to increase the volume of water in the lagga (riverbed), and training for the Water Users Association and Rangeland Management Committee to improve water usage and maintenance.

Fatuma is just one community member participating in WfL’s Cash for Work activities. “The project has created employment for youth, women and men who have been idle in the village and therefore the peoples’ incomes have improved, leading to improved livelihoods. After completion, I hope the dam will solve the water problem and construction of the shallow well will reduce the time spent digging scooping holes,” she says. It is this positive attitude and determination that drives Fatuma and the community of Jalango to continue working in the 40 degree heat.

In 2012, Adeso began to implement the Livelihood Support for Returnees and Vulnerable Host Communities (LSRVHC) project in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan, with funding from the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF). The project targets 10,500 individuals (1500 households) and aims to improve food security within the region by addressing food shortages while relieving pressure on households caused by high market prices. The project supports local communities in diversifying their livelihood opportunities and includes activities such as agricultural training and seed and tool distribution.

As part of the LSRVHC project in Nyamlel, community members selected individuals from within Referendum Estate to take part in a Farming and Livestock Management Committee. Akon was one of those nominated, and subsequently received a five day training in crop production. “Adeso taught me how to grow crops and vegetables and how to manage the land. With the skills I have got I have started to prune my guava tree and it has started producing new leaves,” she says. Akon plans to use what she has learned to help others within the community: “I now plan to train my neighbors and open new land for farming activities as soon as the season begins using the skills learned from Adeso training”.

Akon aims to continue her petty trade work alongside agricultural activities. She currently lives in a makeshift shelter, but plans to improve her housing with the additional income she will earn. “When I build a permanent house, I want enough room to construct a vegetable garden to help diversify the diet for my children and me”, she says, with her sights now set firmly on the future.

Before Adeso’s intervention, Farduus and her family depended on her father’s wages from laboring in Hingalool village. It was not a secure livelihood as bookings were sporadic, so the family also relied on gifts from relatives to meet their basic needs. Farduus used to attend primary school until her family’s financial circumstances forced her to drop out.

In 2010, Adeso partnered Save the Children UK to implement the Social Safety Nets (SSN) project. The intervention targeted vulnerable households in northern regions of Somalia with the aim of reducing community vulnerability to food insecurity. SSN targeted 2200 households: 1200 for monthly unconditional cash relief payments and 1000 for skills training/cash grants to start small businesses.

Handicraft skills training classes were a key part of the SSN initiative, and when Adeso proposed classes in Hingalool village, Farduus saw an opportunity to help her family. Community members were targeted using Adeso’s unique inclusive community based targeting (ICBT) approach, leading to a village relief committee (VRC) formed by community members. The VRC then identified and selected skills trainees from amongst the most vulnerable community members.

Farduus was selected for training classes to establish basic tailoring skills. At the end of the course, participants received a start-up grant of $380 USD to market their newly acquired skills. Farduus used some of the money to purchase a sewing machine, and now serves customers daily with a fully operational business, “Deq’s Tailor Business”, located in Hingalool’s village center. Farduus has now covered her outlay costs and is making enough profit to support her family. By increasing her household income, she can now purchase food, milk and cover water expenses for her family. Farduus aims to continue promoting her new business and is confident that “Deq’s” will grow in the future.

SSN activities in Hingalool ended in February 2013. However, Adeso is transitioning to phase II of the SSN intervention to continue addressing the needs of the region. SSN II specifically targets communities identified as those most vulnerable to food insecurity within Sool Plateau and Hingalool village is just one of the communities that will be targeted.

Garang and his family returned home in 2011 after almost 30 years in Khartoum, Sudan. Garang hoped to help rebuild his country after the referendum which saw the Sudanese and South Sudanese governments separate. Before then, he was living in relative comfort, and was able to support his family through masonry work; a skill he developed while working as an apprentice.

Garang had thought that he would find work easily – “rebuilding” a nation must surely go hand-in-hand with construction. However, as a returnee, he faced discrimination from the host community, with existing senior masons giving preference to relatives to make up their workforce. Garang observes how this made it very difficult for those like himself, returning to find a “closed” market.

To continue supporting his family, Garang started fishing during the dry season. He also farmed one feddan (acre) of bush land after the government allowed returnees to clear and use uncultivated land. The harvest reaped is just enough to provide a meal a day for his family.

In July 2012, Adeso began to implement the second phase of the Livelihood Support to Returnees and Host Communities (LSRHC) project, with funding from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). LSRHC aims to improve food security of returnee and resident households in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan, and targets 17,160 individuals (2860 households), of which 18,728 are returnees like Garang. LSRHC activities include livestock restocking, Cash for Work (CfW) and Livelihood Support Grants and apprenticeships for returnees with an existing trade or entrepreneurial skills.

Two years after his first, Garang is now undertaking a second apprenticeship under experienced mason James Lual Kuch as part of the LSRHC project. Based in Nyamlel, James has a résumé boasting work on the famous South Sudan Hotel, the Catholic Mission, the county hall and countless other structures. Like Garang, James has also worked in Khartoum, spending 10 years acquiring masonry skills including carpentry and electrical wiring. He returned to Nyamlel in 2002 and has trained many new masons since. He takes great pleasure in helping Garang re-start his career.

Garang is experienced in burned bricks construction, but has little knowledge of plastering. However, thanks to his apprenticeship, he is now eagerly acquiring this skill under James’ expert guidance. Garang cannot thank Adeso enough, and is quick to add that he would love to work under the program for a longer period than the proposed three months. He hopes to use money from Adeso’s Livelihood Support Grants to equip himself with his own tools, allowing him to practice his new skills independently.

In August 2012, Adeso started implementing the Community Agriculture Recovery and Economic Support (CARES) project in Garissa and Wajir counties with support from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The project covers two key areas – agriculture and food security and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) – and aims to promote community self-sufficiency and disaster risk reduction through promotion of alternative livelihoods. The project targets 4200 individuals (600 households) for agricultural activities such as training on farming techniques, and 84,000 individuals (12,000 households) for WASH activities including the construction of sub-surface dams and shallow wells.

Communities selected the individuals who would receive trainings on alternative livelihoods (including farming), leading to the formation of livelihood groups. Sulieman is a member of just one of these groups. He is enthusiastic about the project, and believes that “farming is a self-sustainable activity that can supplement pastoralism in our region.” Together with Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, Adeso has facilitated land preparation and crop production trainings for six livelihood groups so far. The participants received training in theoretical and practical aspects of modern farming practices, covering land preparation, planting and establishment of common horticulture and fodder chops.

With a positive attitude, Sulieman has committed himself to earning a living through farming while using his knowledge and skills to support other community members. Armed with self-confidence and determination, Sulieman now shows a keen interest in both commercial and subsistence farming. “It was through the CARES project that I realized farming is a viable option along the riverine in our region. I have heard of many community members who started from nowhere but through their hard work and support from NGOs they are now successful farmers”, Sulieman reports. The provision of essential farm tools and basic knowledge has enabled him to produce enough food for his family while reducing reliance on food relief.

However, the ministry still lacks sufficient capacity to ensure that their gender strategy is implemented and fully monitored. Asha, the deputy minister for MOWDAFA, emphasizes the need for the ministry to strengthen its role of disseminating information to women in remote areas in order to help make their voices count. With support from Adeso, MOWDAFA has so far conducted assessments in 14 districts and consequently established 14 women associations. “These associations provide us with a safe platform in which we can talk”, says Asha. “We are able to network and discuss openly the economic and political constrains that we are currently facing.”

Asha believes that as Adeso continues to implement capacity building activities in the region, women from different walks of life will be engaged in their own peace and reconstruction efforts.

The Promoting Women’s Political Participation for Development of Peace and Security in Puntland initiative (PROWOPP) was started by Adeso in September 2012 with funding from the European Union. The two year initiative is expected to provide consistent capacity development through technical support, institutional capacity building, and training on various thematic areas, including: policy and advocacy; conflict resolution; and monitoring and evaluation.