About Us

The Pastoralist Assistance Group was established in 1993 to support drought and civil war affected pastoralists by providing them livestock to rebuild their mobile pastoralist livelihood. We wanted to provide a long-term solution after the Somali civil war, once the refugee camps had dispersed and the emergency relief efforts ended.

Livestock is the backbone of the pastoralist economy and social security system, by supporting pastoralists with all the aspects of livestock production we are reducing the vulnerability of those most marginalised in the drylands of Africa and supporting the sustainability of a unique, adaptable and ecological way of life.

We have a board of 6 Trustees.

You can view detailed financial information about The Pastoralist Assistance Group on the Charity Commissions website.

Or read our 2008/9 annual accounts.

Our aims & objectives

• Our aim is to assist mobile pastoralists in the Horn of Africa to strengthen their livelihood, reach their economic potential, achieve peace within their communities, have a voice in civil society and access the services and human rights they are entitled to.

• Our objectives are to strengthen customary law, resource management and livestock production; Support the voice of those most excluded such as women and children; Facilitate effective dialogue between pastoralists and with their governments; and support local partners with access to information, funding and capacity building.

 In order to achieve this we aim to strengthen traditional forms of governance, resource management and economic productivity.  We will facilitate debates, forum meetings and peer exchanges where pastoralists are able to speak for themselves about their own issues with key opinion leaders.

We work in partnership with local indigenous structures or strong grass roots local African organisations that work with pastoralists, supporting these organisations with funding for specific projects, new knowledge and organisational back-up.

We are also starting to engage in publicity awareness raising & networking to promote a realistic and positive view of pastoralism and expand PAG’s participation in global pastoralist networks and events.

Our work

The Pastoralist Assistance Group has been funding & supporting direct project work in Kenya and Somalia with a partnership with, EPAG Kenya.  Up until 2009 we have been working on a 5 year ‘Pastoralist Integrated Development Project’, funded by Comic Relief to support Somali pastoralists in northern Kenya and Gedo region Somalia with micro-projects, education and rights based work.  

Over the past two years we have been making more direct links with pastoralist leaders in the Horn of Africa. In Aug 2008 we attended a Pastoralist Gathering in Kajiado District, Kenya where we met with pastoralists, Kenyan Government officials and others to discuss issues such as land rights and peace-building. Read more. We are currently looking at developing new ways to assist pastoralists through direct partnership with local organisations such as the Pastoralist Shade Initiative a council of pastoralist leaders striving to acheive peace in their communities in Kenya.

New Projects

We are currently fundraising to take forward a new project that we have been developing with pastoralists over the past year called, 'Rights, Peace & Pastoralist Livelihoods'. It aims to contribute towards achieving sustainable peace, strong customary advocacy/ leadership and securer livelihoods for pastoralists in the border areas of Kenya and Somalia. It will tackle the root causes of conflict in pastoralist areas; work in co-operation with state institutions; change attitudes over the use of violence; encourage community solidarity and participation; and strengthen the livelihood capacity of pastoralist families affected by conflict.

The result will be a reduction in violence and improved security enabling families to move freely with their animals and for their children to attend school. Herders will be able to trade freely across borders giving them greater economic freedom.

Strengthened leadership and effective partnership with government will enable pastoralists to properly manage their environments and demand their rights to land, health care and appropriate education. Read more about our Rights Peace & Livelihoods project

Our philosophy

The Pastoralist Assistance Group believes that pastoralism is a way of life: it is about herding animals and sustaining fragile environments.  We view pastoralism as a resilient and productive livelihood system and believe that pastoralists are the true guardians of the drylands.  We also advocate that pastoralism should be supported and strengthened in a way that ensures that pastoralists are in control of their own development and governance.

We do not speak for pastoralists, but aim to create environments where they can speak for themselves about the issues that they feel are important.

Our philosophy begins with the premise that, pastoralist’s as indigenous people have the right of self determination and the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual and material relationship with the land, territories and waters which they have traditionally owned or occupied.  We support a harmonious relationship between ecology and economy; between tradition and progress; and between environment and development. Our Core Values stipulate that we work through and with the local community at all times and we adopt an approach that centres on our accountability to pastoralist communities. We promote a positive view of pastoralists and of the potential of pastoral economies, their social institutions and their indigenous knowledge.

Our views on pastoralism

We believe that in supporting pastoralists and pastoralism, the solutions and strategies lie with the pastoralists themselves. That by supporting dialogue and creating non-threatening safe environments for pastoralists, key opinion leaders and policy makers to come together, pastoralists will design their own futures and create their own opportunities.

We recognise that pastoralism is not only highly productive in terms of livestock production and its by-products, but is also a resilient environmentally sensitive livelihood system, especially in the drought prone arid areas of the Horn of Africa.

Our History

The Pastoralist Assistance Group PAG, formally the 'Emergency Pastoralist Assistance Group' EPAG was set up in 1992 after the civil war in Somalia by three ex-patriate development workers, Alastair Scott-Villiers, Patta Scott-Villiers and Emily Pearson. EPAG provided restocking for former Somali pastoralists to support their repatriation from refugee camps back into their former rural areas.  EPAG then moved away from being directly engaged in emergency work and expanded to support livelihood diversification work and economic development projects. In 1996 EPAG handed over the management of this work to the local Kenyan Somali employees. EPAG Kenya, as it became known, later registered as a Kenyan Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and has continued to work with Somali pastoralists in northern Kenya and Gedo region Somalia.  EPAG UK, now called The Pastoralist Assistance Group, has continued to provide support to EPAG Kenya in terms of channelling funding, fundraising, new knowledge, organisational development and back-up.