Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

The overall objective of the IFRC Emergency Appeal Kenya 2017 is to meet the immediate needs of 1.033.300 drought-affected persons in fourteen (14) priority counties by scaling up nutritional interventions and basic health services, increase access to water, hygiene and sanitation and ensure food security. With the ADA contribution of EUR 1.000.000, the IFRC is able to meet the immediate needs of 45.000 persons in 14 counties.

Expected results

In the area of health, the IFRC Appeal aims at reducing risks of drought related disease outbreaks and other negative consequences in key health outcomes, providing basic essential health care to the target population, offering an initial package for reproductive health services to target population, offering psychosocial support and carrying out epidemic prevention measures. In the area of Water and Sanitation, the IFRC intends to immediately reduce the imminent risk of waterborne and water related diseases in the targeted communities, engage in hygiene activities (while meeting SPHERE standards in terms of the identification and use of hygiene items), provide hygiene related goods (NFIs) (while meeting SPHERE standards), sustainably reduce the risk of waterborne and water related diseases, give access to safe water of community managed water sources and engage in hygiene promotion activities to the entire affected population. Finally, in the area of livelihood the appeal comprises measures to meet food needs of the drought affected populations, provide cash transfers to households to purchase food, reduce food insecurity among the affected households and protect livelihoods as well as reduce negative coping mechanisms among affected pastoral communities/households

Target group / Beneficiaries

Target group: 45.000 persons (amounting to 14% of the total population). The selection of beneficiaries was based on the level of vulnerability, including households that lost their source of livelihoods (loss of crops and animals), the chronically ill, elderly, female headed households, pregnant women and lactating mothers (1.480) and malnourished children under the age of five (5) years (11.700), and/or people with disabilities. Partner: The IFRC will work in close cooperation with the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS). Region: The IFRC activities will take place in the north and east of Kenya in fourteen (14) counties, namely Turkana, West Pokot, Baringo, Laikipia, Samburu, Marsabit, Isiolo, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Tana River, Lamu, Kilifi and Kwale.

Activities

The measures in the area of health comprise measures reducing risks of drought related disease outbreaks and other negative consequences in key health outcomes by conducting integrated health and nutrition outreaches for community health workers, sensitizing population on epidemics, intensifying community based surveillance for possible outbreaks, facilitating referrals for emergency obstetric care, distributing reproductive health kits, conducting community awareness sessions on Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention, response and reporting mechanisms, providing Psychological First Aid to the affected population and train workers on child protection in emergencies, organizing safe spaces for children and groups for counselling and procuring and storing medical supplies and equipment. The IFRC measures in the area of WASH consist of immediate reduction in risk of waterborne and water related diseases in the targeted communities by producing information, education and communication materials to support behaviour change communication (PHASTER toolkits), training of hygiene promoters in PHASTER methodologies, distributing water treatment chemicals for household water treatment and providing trainings of their use, distribution of storage containers, UPVC water tanks, bladder tanks to support water storage in hard hit areas. Moreover, in the area of WASH, the IFRC will aim at a sustainable reduction in risk of waterborne and water related diseases in target Communities by distributing fast moving spare part kits for target water systems, rehabilitating/equipping of key water supply schemes in strategic acute drought hit areas and training of the water management representatives, drilling of new boreholes, desilting of earth pans/earth dams, providing water trucking for one (1) month, conducting thematic hygiene promotion campaigns targeting; institutions, communal areas in the target areas and training teachers on the SHEPP (School Hygiene Education Promotion Program) methodology for hygiene promotion in schools and form school hygiene clubs to transfer SHEPP. Finally, in the area of livelihood, the IFRC plans to meet the existing and dire food needs of the drought affected populations by distributing cash for the drought affected population (households will receive approximately 3.000 KHS (26€) per month till the end of August 2017 through mobile payments and one (1) to four (4) payments are disbursed per household, depending on the respective level of vulnerability) and developing a beneficiary communication plan and complaint, feedback mechanism as well as Conducting inception meetings with local stakeholders including county steering group and community, distributing meat from livestock and seeds.

Context

Due to poor performance as a result of long rains in the months March to May 2016, some pastoral and marginal farming communities in the Arid and Semi Arid Land (ASALs) of the country are experiencing a severe drought, now classified as alert phase (10 counties) and alarm phase (13 counties). ASALs make up to more than 80 per cent of the country’s land mass and are home to approximately 36 per cent of the country’s population. The ASALs have the lowest development indicators and the highest incidence of poverty in the country.

The Government of Kenya (GoK) declared the ongoing drought has affected 23 arid and semi-arid counties and pockets of other areas as a national disaster. Therefore, the GoK has appealed to all stakeholders, local and international partners to come in and support its efforts to contain the situation which, has not only affected human beings and livestock but also wild animals by upscaling drought mitigation programmes. More than 2.7 Mio people are in need of food assistance. The food security situation remains critical. Children, pregnant and lactating women as well as the elderly, are the most affected population of the food scarcity and the levels of acute malnutrition will increase rapidly among these population sub groups.