IRK initiated a program named “Integrated Emergency response to communities affected by Drought in North Eastern Kenya” with the main objective of responding to the immediate needs of the drought affected people in North Eastern Kenya and improving their resilience to cope with future humanitarian needs. In an effort of increasing the resilience to shock through re-building the asset level of drought affected areas, IRK is supporting farmers in the riverine irrigation along Daua River and Micro-finance. Funding for these ongoing projects is from IR private donors; ECHO IR-UK, IR-Switzerland and Qatar Charity. It is hoped to receive support for riverine irrigation and water harvesting based irrigation from EC. The objectives of the Food Security and Livelihood project is to ensure improved and secure food security for the target communities exposed to the impact of climate change in the target areas.
Food Security
Islamic Relief Kenya’s food security and livelihoods programs tackle the root causes of hunger: problems of access and production. Encompassing a wide array of activities customized to meet a community’s specific needs, our programs are designed to bolster agricultural production, jumpstart local market activity, support micro-enterprise initiatives, and otherwise enhance a vulnerable community’s access to sustainable sources of food and income.
What We Do
Evaluate Local Needs
To determine what’s causing hunger in a given area, IRK carries out comprehensive evaluations by collecting and analyzing key data on local assets, resources, and livelihoods strategies. Our teams meet directly with community members to better understand local conditions and create a collaborative plan of action.
Respond to Emergencies
When disasters destroy infrastructure and food supplies, when violence forces thousands to flee, or when drought disrupts food production, IRK responds with distributions of food, cash, and other items to prevent hunger in the short-term and ensure that crops can be replanted and livestock restocked in the future.
Provide Long-Term Solutions
Designed in collaboration with local populations, our strategies are context-specific:
micro-grant/credit support for families recovering from conflict;
seeds and tools for agricultural recovery;
livestock and veterinary services where needed;
Small business assistance; and other programs that help families regain self-sufficiency.
By installing irrigation pumps, farmers have been able to improve food and pasture production through micro irrigation a long River Daua in Mandera. By connecting farmers with Government Agricultural Extension Department, farmers have been able to access extension services on Good Agronomic Practices.
IRK Irrigated Agriculture Project sites a long River Daua in Mandera
Varied forms of cash transfer
IRK’s cash transfer interventions are tailored for specific communities, whether the goal is emergency relief, crisis prevention or long-term development. Here’s an overview of the organization’s three main intervention strategies:
Cash-for-Work Programs: This form of transfer provides a wage in exchange for useful work for the community, such as taking part in community infrastructure rehabilitation projects. These transfers work well for families who have one or more members who are healthy enough to engage in active labor.
Food Vouchers: Help families supplement their diets with nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits and vegetables for children under five who need to enhance their micronutrient consumption.
Cash Grants: These are used predominantly to assist the most vulnerable people, such as widows or families who are unable to participate in cash for work programs.
What is climate change?
It refers to the changes in the world’s climate caused principally by the emission of greenhouse gases as a result of human activity.
Since the Industrial Revolution humans have burned fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which build up in the atmosphere, and trap heat. As their concentration increases, so do the levels of heat.
The resulting rise in temperature of the earth’s atmosphere in turn affects weather patterns. Global warming is making some places drier and some wetter, and increasing the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather events like droughts, floods and cyclones.
Climate change disrupts seasonal patterns, which can have a negative impact on crop yields. It’s also creating more extreme weather patterns. Over the past two decades the number of natural disasters has doubled. More floods, cyclones and droughts means more children’s lives are at risk.
IRK Training on Community Managed disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR)
Exit Strategy for Poverty:
IRK provide an exit strategy from poverty for pastoralists and Agro-pastoralist farmers in Northern Kenya by helping them improve their food production, expand their livelihood options and help them to become self-reliant. We incorporate the ideas and insights of a wide range of stakeholders. The design contain ways to acquire human, social, financial, and physical capital, to integrate livelihood development with programs in other sectors, and to build the capacity of local service providers.