Program and Areas of Activities

OUR PROGRAMMES:

NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS currently has been concentrating on Mandera East and Lafey Districts and are WESCOORD(Humanitarian Response-Kenya) focal NGO for the same area. The activities include WASH(e) Water, Sanitation and Health with some components of education and Mass Livestock Vaccination in the same area.  We are working to expand to Wajir and adjacent areas soon.

NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS works and implements to supplement the efforts of the GOK(Government of Kenya) and The International Donors and NGO's (INGO'S) together with other stakeholders in addressing overall developmental  challenges within Northern Kenya region. 


Our main focus previously was so much about Drought Emergency Programs but has since changed towards General development matters as our scope broadened in many aspects. 

We are now so much focused on Water, Education and Health (Sanitation and Hygiene), Gender and Small Arms and Light weapons reduction strategies around the Northern Kenya and the adjacent Kenya-Somalia border regions

INTERVENTIONS

NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS will focus on the following intervention areas in the next five-year period from 2017 to 2018:

Humanitarian response

Kenya and the region including Somalia has suffered from 18 years of civil war and severe natural calamities such as drought and flooding. These disasters directly affect the degree of self-reliance of communities and the access to primary education, infrastructure, Health systems. Therefore, NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS aims to provide relief services to minimize the impact of these calamities on their projects.

Sustainable livelihoods

Interventions in this area will mostly focus on adaptation of rural livelihoods to climate change and to build resilience of communities against climate change and frequent disasters. Other programs like Mass Livestock vaccination to reduce cross border diseases(Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia) will also envisaged.

School WASH Programs
 

In Kenya, Somali ethnic groups school enrollment rates in primary education are still very low. NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS aims to provide school-aged children with education. Its focus will be on promoting equal access for boys and girls and to favor a more child-friendly learning environment. Improved access to and enhanced quality of education will result in better job opportunities for school graduates.

To add on to that, School going children require healthy environment to study, Require sanitation improvement in their schools, Need safe and clean adequate Water to drink and use..They will also need to have sheds to eat their meals and adequate Hygiene environments in Dormitories and Kitchen. These are all aspects envisaged by NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS.

Schools Sanitary Pads Distribution

We are also stimulating the use of sanitary pads by girls in schools so as to increase their enrolments, reduce burden and achieve gender parity in schools. 

Gender and identity related issues
 

NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS recognizes the important role that women play in development. They provide food for the family, raise the children, and are often the binding factor between families in the community. There is a lot to enhance in the overall situation of Somali women in Kenya. Poverty, lack of access to education and primary healthcare, high-risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality during delivery, harmful traditional, cultural, and social practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM), gender-based violence, lack of access and control of economic resources and lack of participation in decision-making processes are the main issues that NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS will address.

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)

The interest of Small arms and light weapons reduction has really touched our heart. The Failed country of Somalia neighbouring Kenya has had many challenges to small arms proliferation across our borders. These arms are sometime used by local communities to protect their resources and hence ends up in almost every settlement. These creates tension and sometimes conflicts. With conflicts comes Cattle rustling, Robberies, Killing and which agrravates counter revenge. These situations take an active role in the lack of development in many of these areas and SALW reduction, though challenging but has since become really important to us. We are looking at engaging them to stimulate peace, co-existence and hence development.

Promoting Information and Drought, Famine advocacy and Early Warnings

We constantly liaise with our partners to address matters that impacts communities. This we do by sharing datas on Early warning in regions mostly affected by Droughts and famine.We give information on a platform where stakeholders can be able to survey and help in times of need.

LONGER TERM RESILIENCE OBJECTIVES

Based on NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS’s strategic position and experience gained over the past ten years of existence, our current objectives aim to increase educational opportunity, improve the position of women, and provide relief for refugees and people in disaster areas. The organisation also aims to increase the global Diaspora’s engagement with Kenya and Somalia.

NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS will promote, support and lead projects that will:

• Increase formal and informal education by creating child-friendly learning environments, offering educational opportunities for children of school age, enhancing the quality and capacity of teachers, engaging parents, teachers and communities in educational activities, promoting the unity of educational organisation's, and advocating peace and stability in the regions.
• Create enabling environments for women in social, economic and political realms, increase advocacy for women’s emancipation from the degrading practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), and increase facilities for the care of mothers and children.
• Spur self-reliance of communities by increasing individual entrepreneurial skills, promote capacity of community group businesses, and engage communities for peace and reconciliation programs.
• Promote and create Peace and Conflict resolution methods to spur development along the Kenya-Somalia Borders. 
• Promotion of Safe Healthy Lifestyles including the reduction of the spread of HIV(Aids) in Kenya.

NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS seeks to involve youth in sport events, debates, exchanges, and fundraising events and to partner itself with other migrants and indigenous youth organizations. See NORTHERN KENYA CAUCUS mid-term strategic plan for more information.

We are also seriously putting up on the communities receptive move towards our understanding of the Long term Projects and we will be rolling some new plans to address their issues. We have done various assesment on the field in terms of Water and general Livelihoods to move ahead and understand the communities. 

In Summary, Our Programs include:

• Supplementing the (RSMP) Kenya School Feeding Programme- Targeting left out Schools in mostly  ASAL region.
• Information on Famine and drought Emergencies - This includes Early Warning System, Advocacy and Planning with relevant stakeholders.
• Emergency Relief Food Distribution and Disaster Management - Food Distribution, 
• Emergency Water Distribution through trucking and other means.
• Water Resource Development - Drilling of Boreholes, Repair & Maintenance of Water 
• Boreholes, Windmills and construction of new Water Pans, Water Storage
• Food Security Long Term initiatives - This includes Green House irrigation,
• Climate Change Awareness and Initiatives.
• Other Community Social Developments - Youth and Community Forums on various issues including Culture.
• Other directions - Tourism and Travel, Community Initiatives

We focus on result oriented programs and achieving results and this helps us in:

• Improving the community's resolve to achieve development ;

• Achieving the Mellinium Goals advocated Worldwide;