This Kenya component of the AFAP-APAC program is implemented by Concern Universal Kenya in collaboration with the Masai AIDS Awareness Program in Kajiado District and the Makutano Community Development Association in Machakos District. The CBOs are based in the communities in which they work, have their own members of staff and work closely with the District and local stakeholders. The impact areas are semi-arid and therefore prone to droughts. The Kenya program is implementing all the four sectors of the AFAP-APAC Program – food security, water and sanitation, health, and capacity building.

Within the food security component, amongst the Masai community in Kajiado District, the work is promoting diversification of farming systems to include crop agriculture for the Masai community who traditional depend on livestock for their livelihoods. This is being done through demonstration gardens, training of farmers, organising farmers into clubs or CBOs and exchange visits to Machakos District where the community traditionally practices crop production in addition to livestock management. Links have been created with the Department of Agriculture.

As a result there have been steady increases in the number of “new farmers” from 100 in 2005 to 533 in 2007 in Kajiado. In the Machakos District, where farming systems already integrate crops and livestock, the program promotes food security through improving access to high quality inputs, especially seed; through the provision of water for kitchen gardens; the diversification of cropping systems to mitigate the impact of droughts; and the use of soil conservation strategies.

The water and sanitation component involves protection of springs, construction of shallow wells and construction of dams and reservoirs. In Kajiado beneficiaries of Endonyo Narok dam are now walking 2 km to collect water compared with 15-20 km before. Similar changes have been observed with the communities benefiting from the Oloyiankalani Community Spring and the Kiumoni Community dam in Machakos District. Approximately 1,600 new households and 8,700 animals are now benefiting from these water points. “It is encouraging to see communities come to fetch water and return home within 15 minutes on foot” – said a community elder.

Furthermore, the program supports committees through training in hygiene and sanitation; itconstructs bathrooms and livestock drinking troughs at water points. This enables many people to wash more often in a day. Another innovation has been to target schools by working with teachers and the community to provide hygiene and sanitation education.

The Australian High Commissioner to Kenya, His Excellency, Mr. George Atkin, inaugurates a new safe water source at Oloyiankalani in Kajiado District   The health component implements a range of activities. The program organises medical camps, where a team of 60-70 health workers are mobilised in collaboration with the District Health Offices. The team, which comprises specialised experts like dentists, surgeons, paediatricians and gynaecologists, holds a camp in a selected area, far from a health facility, where it provides integrated or “all-in-one” health and medical support to the community. The approach has improved access to good quality medical care by communities who normally do not have access even to basic health services.

Capacity building has focused on the two implementing CBOs, community mobilisation and networking with other local players, especially at district level. Exchange visits have also been implemented.