At PACIDA, we believe cash offers several advantages over other forms of humanitarian aid. It is cost effective, often leads to a better use of resources, and has a positive effect of stimulating local economies. More importantly, cash is a flexible resource that empowers those in need by allowing them to prioritize their own needs. In this way, it is a much more dignified and respectful form of aid– two qualities that define everything we do. Meet Talaso Roba, a 40-year old mother of six who hails from Anchancha village, North Horr sub-county of Marsabit County. She says, “My dignity and self-worth have been restored as a woman. Even though the ravaging drought has been here with us since November of 2016, personally I have had to come up with adoptive strategies during this period to ensure survival of my family”. Ms. Talaso says that her children and husband are…

“We the warring communities living in Marsabit County, particularly the two major communities, remain eternally grateful for the tremendous assistance in terms of trainings on Peace, Resilience and Harmonious co-existence, PACIDA through Christian AID has given us in a bid to ensure peaceful co-existence, says Chukulisa Koyowa with a benevolent smile. “My name is Chukulisa Koyowa, I am 49 years old and a mother of eight children; 4 Girls and 4 boys. I hail from Turbi Division of Marsabit County. For a number of years, communities in Marsabit had never experienced peace until civil society organizations stepped in and started empowering us of how imperative peace is.” Growing up, Chukulisa never ever even once thought there ever would exist peace in her native land. She struggled understanding what the word meant in a long time, In fact, to her, peace was a luxury and a very remote affair to attain.…

Pastoralist Community Initiative and Development Assistance (PACIDA) and other humanitarian agencies within Marsabit County are using cash transfer interventions, as an alternative or a complement to food aid. With funding from Plan International, PACIDA is running a four-month cash transfer programme in Moyale Sub-county of Marsabit County targeting 500 Households in Walda, Rawan, Sololo Makutano and Dambala Fachana. The programme aims at increasing the purchasing power of drought-affected people to enable them meet their minimum needs for food and non-food items. Giving people money is therefore the most obvious and simple way of providing assistance in emergencies. Cash transfer is seen to often meet people’s needs more quickly than commodity distribution, because they reduce the logistics involved and help stimulate the local economy. Moreover, cash transfers are more dignified than in-kind or commodity distributions as they give drought-affected populations the option of spending according to their own priorities. Tuesday 18th…

With literacy levels standing at 26.2% in Marsabit County, PACIDA in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and other like minded actors supports education interventions in a bid to boost the literacy levels . PACIDA values education and we aim at increasing the retention rate of learners in school in order to improve educational outcomes and life chances. Every child deserves a chance. We promote inclusive education, which has been internationally recognized as a philosophy for attaining equity, justice and quality education for all children and Iman Ayisha of Kalacha Nomadic Girls’ is privileged to have benefited from our interventions. “I used to see people go to school, and each time I kept wondering how their lives would be after they finished school. I was sure though, that I would remain hopeless miserable girl. They looked dapper in their uniforms,” she says holding her chin. She continues to say, “sitting…

Pastoralist Community Initiative and Development Assistance (PACIDA), through possible funding from USAID through FH Kenya in a bid to improve water access through introduction of private water provision services, has introduced first ever pre-paid water meters in four sites (Dirib Gombo & Odda boreholes, Shauri Yako & Saku water kiosks) of Marsabit County. The minimum population set to benefit from the new technology is 28,500 people. So far, two water kiosks (Shauri Yako and Saku) have been installed with the pre-paid meters and are operational. The system is seen to have sustainable service which brings water closer to people’s homes, contributes to improved health and well -being by reducing the burden on women and enabling them to engage their time more productively hence increasing resilience for the entire community. The project also ensures that water projects are sustainable and continue to serve communities by improving integrity in the management and…

Yattane Chachu from Koronder, awaiting for her turn to fetch water after PACIDA’s intervention of water trucking to the community who go for weeks without water. “More outside aid is required to boost the efforts of PACIDA and other like-minded organisations,” says Yattani Chachu from Koronder village in northern Kenya . The humanitarian system has many layers and structures attached to it, and operates in areas where a policy of one size fits all does not work. It is important to invest in capacity at all levels of the humanitarian system and not just at the headquarters level. Local organizations often operate in areas that international NGO’s cannot get to, and where governments may not have the scope. In February 2017, UN OCHA reported that 12.8 million individuals in four East African countries were experiencing acute levels of food insecurity and needed humanitarian assistance because of drought. Kenya is one…

Its early afternoon at Koronder village, 55 kilometres from Turbi town, the ride is certainly jerky occasioned by the dilapidated road condition. As we drive deeper into the village, we are greeted by sights of numerous carcasses sprawling on the already lifeless pebbles and the bare surrounding. I suddenly have a long face like a wet weekend and in my head for a second, I think I am being delusional. So I pick up my broken self and we keep driving further in. For the animals that are lucky to survive, their body condition is worrying to say the least. The faces of the are even more emaciated than the animals themselves. So we decide to stop by one of the herds of shoats and the situation is awful. I try as much as I can to fight back my tears and finally I collect myself and walk up to…