Improving Livelihoods Post Pandemic and Drought: Kisauni Region, Kenya
In 2023, with the support of partners, Haller began a long-term initiative in the Kisauni Region of Mombasa County, Kenya. The area had been badly impacted by the global pandemic, coupled with rising costs and the most prolonged drought in 93 years. With historically low literacy rates, degraded soils, a lack of formal land ownership, and limited county-level support services, Haller provided support across WASH, healthcare, and farmer training.
Over 12 months, these connected efforts positively impacted the livelihoods of over 8,000 people in the county and have created strategies and infrastructure to improve resilience for years to come.
WASH
Leveraging Haller Kenya’s established service delivery program, over the course of the year, our team installed three eco-loos connected to educational facilities in the county. The aim was to decrease disease transmission among school children and enhance community efforts to harvest water for hand washing and crops.
The facilities ensure women no longer have to walk long distances, often at night, to access fresh water. As one woman commented: “We are grateful for the immense support of empowering us women and reducing the long trailing distances.”
At Hope Academy School, a teacher underscored the importance of proper sanitation facilities to provide “a safe place for our young children.”
Healthcare
Efforts to improve access to health services and improve health education were focused on women’s health, vaccinations, malnutrition, and respiratory infections. With poor healthcare infrastructure in Kisauni, these clinics provided critical assistance for underserved communities.
Our team conducted 24 clinics across 10 different communities during the year, reaching over 1,100 patients. This included 147 vaccinations delivered to children under 5. The clinics also incorporated education on the healthcare section of the Haller Farmers app, for additional resources in between clinics.
A core part of the healthcare outreach was Healthy Habits hygiene workshops to educate children on hygiene best practices connected to hand washing and dental care. 744 children participated in the sessions, which were designed to be engaging and fun for a wide range of ages.
Farmer Training
As with many regions in Kenya, Kisauni has faced erratic weather conditions over the past 5 years. Extended periods of drought and soaring temperatures have created extreme dryland conditions that no longer respond to traditional agricultural practices.
Our team conducted 50 training sessions on dryland farming techniques, with over 400 smallholders participating, over 80% of them women.
Training ranged from basic soil regeneration/ fertility/ composting & biopesticides to the more advanced techniques of SALT (sloping agricultural land technology), livestock keeping & the principles of agri-business.
One farmer commented: “We appreciate the knowledge passed on to us, some of us have started to replicate in our farms, and we are happy that we have started to see the positive results.”
