Post-Covid Intervention in Kenya - Concluded

The number of positive Covid-19 cases in Kenya continues to rise, despite the government spreading awareness messages in favor of positivity tests and the Covid vaccine and, at the same time, restrictions continue to be in place to try to limit infections as much as possible. According to the latest data we have from the field, reported by Reverend Fr. Francis Maina, project manager of CADIS Kenya, there are over 204,000 positive cases reported and only 1.3% (662,000) of the Kenyan population had completed the vaccination cycle as of August 2021. However, the spread of the pandemic in Kenya has not stopped humanitarian action and, above all, resilience in a post-Covid perspective. 

The hope is in fact to be able to improve the quality of life in specific areas of the country, where the intervention of CADIS Taiwan and CADIS International, started in May 2021, aims to reduce poverty and build community resilience through the improvement of food security and response to climate change. The implementation of the resilience project targets the semi-arid areas of Baringo County, particularly affected by climate change. 

Baringo County is made up of six sub-counties, namely: Baringo Central, Baringo South, Baringo North, Eldama Ravine, Mogotio, and Tiaty. Among these, Baringo South has been identified as one of the most affected by climate change with the flooding in 2020 of the two lakes present, Lake Baringo and Lake Mbogoria, resulting in the displacement of residents and the destruction of surrounding fields, which are the source of income and subsistence for families. Schools, homes, churches, and other structures were submerged and the affected families are hosted by neighboring communities, receiving plots of land as a source of livelihood from small-scale agriculture. 

The goal is to provide 200 farmers with knowledge and skills for the sustainable use of agricultural technology that can improve crop productivity and access to water supply sources. The application of the technical skills acquired would contribute to increased productivity and, therefore, increased family income, as well as greater availability of food on the market. At the end of the project, the aim is to lower the rate of malnutrition and hunger by 20% in Baringo South. 

After some changes that affected various phases of the project, CADIS, thanks to the collaboration and hospitality of the government and local partners, is carrying out the implementation of the program. The local Caritas (CARITAS NAKURU) and the local ordinary (CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF NAKURU) were contacted to introduce the Camillian initiative in Kenya. The initiative was warmly welcomed by the Bishop of Nakuru Maurice Muhatia, who was pleased to welcome them to the Diocese, also welcomed by the parish priest of the Catholic parish of Marigat, who facilitated the familiarization of CADIS in the community. 

Meetings with the local administration and county government were fundamental. CADIS operators were able to meet and interact with the local community with ease. Subsequently, all stakeholders were involved in the various phases of work. The main stakeholder of this project is the local population of Salabani. To better understand needs, necessities, and starting points, several stakeholder participation meetings were organized with various groups from Baringo South. In this way, the beneficiaries of the program were identified. The project orientation was held with the local population to make them understand the nature of the project and their fundamental role. 

The goal is to make the population the engine of their own development, managing to reach a level of technical skills such as to make them autonomous in the sustainability of the project. The farmer groups were assisted in registering with social services, as this is a fundamental requirement requested by the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was therefore signed between CADIS Kenya and the government of Baringo County, officially committing the parties to collaborate to jointly pursue the achievement of the project's objectives.