Resilience Building Project in Turkana, Kenya, Wraps Up

A USD 6.1 million, 3.5-year project implemented by IOM and five UN agencies, in partnership with the county government of Turkana, local NGOs and community leaders ended yesterday (29/2). It aimed to improve human security for thousands of vulnerable residents in Turkana County and its bordering communities in north-western Kenya.

The six agencies — UNDP, FAO, UNICEF, WHO, ILO and IOM — met in Naivasha last week with representatives from national and county government, the National Drought Management Authority, local NGOs to evaluate the performance of the project, which was funded by the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS).

“Strengthening Human Security in the Border Communities of Turkana, Kenya” focused on strengthening the resilience of the dominant livelihoods in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Northern Kenya in the face of natural disasters and other shocks, while providing alternative coping mechanisms through coordinated, sustainable interventions in the livelihoods, food security, education, child protection and health sectors,” said project manager Teranishi Etsuko.

Through the project IOM was able to increase the access to water, education and basic health care for vulnerable populations and to raise awareness on child labour, safe migration and health educations. Anecdotal evidence shows that there was a significant reduction of gun injuries as a result of peace-building activities, and an increase in households' income resulting from diversification of livelihoods, she added.

The political advisor to the Governor of Turkana/ Peace Ambassador Immanuel Imana lauded the work implemented by the six agencies, saying that beneficiaries he interacted with were satisfied with the interventions. “They jointly responded swiftly to meet the needs of the targeted beneficiaries,” he said, calling for the extension of the project to target more beneficiaries.

Some of the key objectives of the evaluation workshop included assessing the intended results, relevance, the achievements and lessons learned from the project's implementation. The final evaluation is ongoing and a report will be presented at the end of March 2016.