The Rural Pastoralist Integrated Development Project
Between 2004 and 2009 PAG UK and EPAG Kenya expanded their work with pastoralists with a 5 year Rural Pastoralist Integrated Development Project (RIPDP).
This strategic project, funded by Comic Relief was designed to provide a broader range of support to pastoralist communities in the border areas of northern Kenya Gedo region, Somalia. It enabled pastoralists to have access to basic needs and livelihood security, to generate incomes, access appropriate mobile education, strive for peace and acheive greater participation in civil society. The project developed innovative community theatre awareness raising for HIV/AIDS & FGM prevention and supported the capacity and voice of pastoralists own local institutions to engage at local, regional and national levels, assisting them to better access the services and rights they are entitled to.
The 8 main project activities:
- Implement Community Based Micro-projects and Income Generating Projects
- Promote Nomadic Pastoralist Education through mobile schools
- Support capacity building of local organizations to articulate their development needs and play a role in local governance.
- Enhance the ability of local people to participate and communicate in civil society
- Support community conflict management and peace-building initiatives
- Support community disaster preparedness initiatives
- Promote increased awareness and knowledge of HIV/AIDS and FGM
- Promote shared learning between partners and stakeholders through learning events
Nomadic, based in Wajir were responsible for the implementation of the nomadic education component of the RIPDP.
EPAG-K was directly responsible for implementing all the other seven project objectives in Mandera district, Kenya and Gedo region, Somalia.
As a result of the severe clan conflict towards the end of September 2008 we were forced to postpone the majority of our pastoralist development work and spent the final year supporting pastoralists with peace building and conflict management work. This work started in October 2008 and completed in August 2009. Pastoralists in Mandera and Gedo have been working with EPAG K to develop new peace building work.
We commissioned an external evaluation of the Rural Pastoralist Integrated Development Project in August 2009 to assess our work within the diverse context of pastoralism in northern Kenya. The outcomes and recommendations of this evaluation have enabled PAG to gain a deeper understanding of our work and its impacts on the pastoralist community. We are currently developing a new project that will expand the areas of our work that have proved succesful and that directly benefit mobile pastoralists. A copy of the evaluation report is available on request.