This year, Babyloan Second Gatherings will deal with the new forms of solidarity on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th, November 2009 in the Jardin d’acclimatation in Paris (France). In a changing world, but also right in the middle of an economic crisis, new forms of solidarity appear. Thanks to these gatherings, Babyloan (one of ACTED’s microfinance partners specializing in peer to peer micro-credit) wants to underline these new solidarities and raise the awareness of adults as well as of children.
The Babyloan Gatherings will feature six debates which will address various themes. All of them illustrate an aspect of the worked carried out by Babyloan: new solidarities on the web, microfinance in France, microfinance in developing countries, social business. A preview screening of the movie “Eight” will also take place, preceded by the lecture on political cinema. Thematic areas on social finance, web 2.0, social business, social media, or microfinance will be also be presented to the audience. Read more…
Category: News Category: News November 6th, 2009
Livelihood support for pastoralist populations in East Pokot
As the rains have failed for three years now, famine was declared a national disaster in Kenya on the 10th of January 2009. Livestock body conditions have drastically deteriorated, and many deaths have been reported among the populations. High food prices, livestock diseases, prevailing famine and conflict compounded the already precarious food security amongst the pastoralists. These factors have then constrained the pastoralists to quit their nomadic lifestyle and to settle in small and sedentary urban centres (such as Churo, East Pokot where ACTED is currently starting an emergency programme) in order to access relief supplies and other humanitarian assistance.
A SITUATION THAT FAVOURS CONFLICTS
Samburu and Pokot are two of the nomadic pastoralist communities who rely on livestock, mostly goats, camels and cattle, in the arid lowlands of the Northern part of Kenya for their livelihoods. Even though their nomadic way of life is mostly adapted to the harsh conditions of arid areas, conflict between different tribes for the predation of resources - mainly water and pasture - have appeared, especially during drought crises. Following a drought, which generally translates into huge losses among the herds, a traditional coping mechanism is ‘cattle rustling’, where either community who has lost animals raids the other to restock. In the past, local power structures, such as elder authorities, may have overcome this fatal trend by defining “pre-set periods to raidâ€. The erosion of these traditional authorities and the proliferation of semi automatic rifles in recent years greatly aggravated conflicts between the two communities.
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Category: News Category: News November 6th, 2009
This year, Babyloan Second Gatherings will deal with the new forms of solidarity on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th, November 2009 in the Jardin d’acclimatation in Paris (France). In a changing world, but also right in the middle of an economic crisis, new forms of solidarity appear. Thanks to these gatherings, Babyloan (one of ACTED’s microfinance partners specializing in peer to peer micro-credit) wants to underline these new solidarities and raise the awareness of adults as well as of children.
