Strategic Partnership Agreement II(SPAII).

Background

Kenya has the highest inequality indicators compared to its Eastern Africa neighbor’s but saw a decline in the poverty rate to 27.3% over the past two decades. Young women and men (18–34) constitute 25% of the population and face the highest levels of unemployment in the country. It is the fifth largest asylum country in Africa with 534,622 registered refugees and asylum seekers from Somalia, South Sudan, DRC, and Ethiopia who are concentrated in Dadaab and Kakuma Refugee camps and in urban areas, 49% are women. Kenya has 394,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to climate disasters, conflict, and violence. Nonetheless, Kenya’s average expected number of displacements per year for sudden-onset hazards stands at 65,794 1 . With the Government of Kenya’s plans to close refugee camps by 2022, refugees and asylum seekers face uncertainty. Over the past two years, Kenya was affected by multiple crises (pandemic, locust infestation, droughts & protracted crises). In addition to aligning the country’s long term development agenda to Vision 2030, with the pandemic and upcoming elections in 2022, the President outlined the “big Four” development priorities for his final term prioritizing – food security, affordable housing, universal healthcare, and manufacturing. The new constitution in 2010 introduced a devolved county government providing opportunities for increased public participation and the Bill of Rights. Lack of gender-responsive public services (GRPS) is both a source of inequality and a major barrier for the enjoyment of rights, more expounded during emergencies.

Over 80% of young women reported disruptions in their education and nearly 70% reported seeking delayed health services during the pandemic. There is a growing movement amongst young people demanding change at all levels. Hazards from climate change continue to cause negative socio-economic impacts (losses of livelihoods, income and job opportunities, high staple food prices, household food and nutrition insecurity, low crop production, livestock mortalities, displacement of populations, increased gender-based violation ) on vulnerable communities (women, young people, elderly, children, and people with disabilities) especially women smallholder farmers, agro-pastoralist, and pastoralist households residing in Arid and Semi-Arid areas.

The Overall Objective

“Young people, especially women, and marginalised people enjoy fundamental rights through improved access to well-resourced programmes and public services, improved sustainable livelihoods, protection from and resilience to shocks, disasters, and protracted crisis in 5 arid and semi-arid counties – Garissa, Isiolo, Baringo, Turkana, and Kilifi in Kenya including informal settlement of Nairobi.”

Project Achievements Towards Strategic Objectives (SOs) – 2022

SO1: Enjoyment of fundamental rights through improved access to well-resourced programmes and public services by young people, especially women, and marginalised people in Baringo, Kilifi, Isiolo, Garissa, Nairobi and Turkana.

Young people used the knowledge and information to train and build the capacity of the community and local refugees on social accountability tools. As a result, the community representatives facilitated the development of a community development change plan that prioritized 3 key sectors; Health, Education, and Social Protection as one of their Well-resourced Gender-responsive public service (GRPS). This strengthened their participation in planning, budgeting processes at the county level

SO2: Enjoyment of improved sustainable livelihoods through climate accountable governments and alternatives that build climate resilience by young people, especially women, and marginalised people in Baringo, Kilifi, Isiolo, Garissa, Nairobi and Turkana.

We facilitated 4 young people to attend Climate Justice Fellowship 2022 (4 months,16 Modules program) that aimed at enhancing the capacity of young people in Climate Justice, Climate Disaster Risk Reduction, and Humanitarian Response. The sessions were conducted online mostly with assignments and reflections done physically.

SO3: Resilience to shocks and enjoyment of right to protection in fragile situations, disasters, and protracted crises by young people, especially women, and marginalised people in Baringo, Kilifi, Isiolo, Garissa, Nairobi and Turkana.

• Provision of dignity Kits to 147 vulnerable girls and women in Majengo dignity kits that consisted of Bar soap, one tube of Colgate, 3 packets of sanitary pads, and body lotion. This was done so as to address gaps/ challenges faced by girls and women in Majengo in accessing proper sexual reproductive health services.

• School Feeding Programme to distribute to 280 pupils in Pumwani-Majengo Education Centre in the informal settlements of Kamukunji -Sub-County, Nairobi County.

• Young urban women who were trained on Core Humanitarian Signature (CHS) and AAI Humanitarian Signature have formed ward-based community response teams in Pumwani- Majengo and California wards to work closely with Nairobi City County (NCC) in disaster management and response.