Kenya

ACTED has been present in Kenya since 2006 with a coordination office in Nairobi. The teams in Kenya are implementing projects to meet the needs of populations regularly affected by drought. Local communities are supported with improved access to food, protection of livelihoods and increased access to basic services such as sanitation, clean water. The NGO also works with local governments and community peace committees to promote social cohesion and integration.

Mission context

85% of Kenya’s land mass is arid or semi-arid (ASAL). Historically, populations living in these areas face marginalisation in terms of access to basic services and employment opportunities. The majority of the 700,000 Kenyans in need of humanitarian assistance in 2018 reside in these areas. Over 300,000 children live in families without reliable access to sufficient quantities and varieties of food and over 80,000 children are acutely malnourished. While rural populations have begun to see the benefits of the government’s efforts to devolve decision-making, challenges such as lack of financial resources and poor infrastructure continue to stifle their chances of breaking out of aid dependence.

To address these issues, ACTED works with ASAL communities to improve their access to food, sustainable livelihoods and water, hygiene and sanitation.

 

ACTED in Kenya

Over the past year, a series of severe floods struck the districts of Samburu and Mandera in central and northern Kenya, leading to loss of life, property and livelihoods and the subsequent displacement of the affected populations. ACTED delivers cash assistance to hard-to-reach families via mobile cash transfer services. This approach enables people to access cash quickly, safely, and efficiently on their mobile phones through a dedicated platform.

ACTED also works with communities to rehabilitate strategic water sources through solarisation. This means installing solar technology in water wells to provide renewable energy to power the water pumps used to extract water. This approach helps both to increase access to safe water, and reduced operational and maintenance costs of water sources. In order to improve hygiene practices, communities participate in hygiene promotion activities and receive basic hygiene items, in addition to attending training sessions aimed at reducing the risks associated with waterborne disease. Finally, ACTED trains agro-pastoralists on modern farming techniques and provides them production assets to develop climate-smart farming.

ACTED often combines its work to improve water access in arid areas with trainings and distributions meant to boost self-reliance and food security through supporting agriculture.
Women fetching water from a rehabilitated water kiosk in Samburu East
Hygiene promotion session in Samburu County to sensitize the community to the importance of proper hygiene and sanitation standards

Factsheet

September 2020

Impact of desert locust on livestock route migration
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Factsheet

September 2020

Locust Response
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Factsheet

August 2020

Baseline for the Kenya Cash Consortium Floods Response (Garissa and Tana River Counties)
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August 2020

Midline for the Kenya Cash Consortium Floods Response (Garissa and Tana River Counties)
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September 2020

Endline for the Kenya Cash Consortium Floods Response (Garissa and Tana River Counties)
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August 2020

Baseline for the Kenya Cash Consortium Locust Response in ASAL Counties of Kenya
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Current projects

The Kenya Cash Consortium – Locally-led Multi-Purpose Cash Response to crisis-affected communities in Kenya
Improving Access to Safe Water for Vulnerable Households in Sereolupi, Samburu County, Kenya – Phase 2
Improving Access to Safe Water for Vulnerable Households in Sereolupi, Samburu County, Kenya – Phase 1
Early Action Emergency Drought Cash Response in Turkana County, Kenya
Drought Emergency Response for Food and Nutrition Security (DERF)
Harmonised MEAL and Complaints and Feedback Mechanism for the drought response

Resources

December 2020

REACH Kenya Flood Response
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January 2019

FSL and WASH brief
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Factsheet

November 2018

Cash Programming Factsheet Kenya
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Kenya factsheet

Overview

February 2018

10 years of support to the people of Kenya
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Brochure

August 2017

Overview ACTED Kenya
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