Persons with disabilities are among the 3,000 households set to benefit from a three-year project meant for the households at high risk of food insecurity.
The Turkana Inclusive Livelihood and Resilience Project which was launched in Lodwar on Tuesday seeks to support livestock activities, crop farming, poultry keeping, Fisher folks and Village Savings and Loaning Associations (VSLA).
PWDs will be provided with assistive devices such as wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility devices that they may require.
The project is being implemented by Christian Blind Mission (CBM) and Turkana Pastoralists Development Organization (TUPADO).
CBM is an international Christian development organization, committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest communities of the world.
The project aims to restore and rebuild the capacity of drought-affected communities, persons with disabilities and households at high risk of food insecurity.
Speaking during the launch, CBM officer Antony Kimathi said the project is implemented alongside TUPADO and they would work closely with government departments, partners and community structures to support communities in Kalokol and Kangatotha in Turkana Central.
In collaboration with TUPADO and other partners, CBM aims to support communities with income generating activities that will strengthen their capacities in various aspects. Persons with disabilities and those at risk are highly targeted in this programme.
According to Kimathi, the project was born after closely working with the communities that made it possible to identify a number of income-generating activities in their area.
Kangole David, TUPADO Heads of Programme, said PWDs were
“Women, youth and the elderly are also set to benefit from this programme so as to recover from effects of the previous disasters,” said Kangole.
According to Kangole, the project entails the recovery aspect of the community after a devastating drought that adversely affected the livelihoods of people in Turkana.
He said the project would also address the issue of malnutrition among the targeted livelihood options. For this case, TUPADO is going to have a team that will address the issue of food security among the communities. The team will also check on matters of trade and fisheries because these are the pillars of socio-economic livelihood in this community.
Kanole extended his gratitude to the government and vowed to work together with the Turkana County Government to realise the objective of recovery through this project.
County Chief officer for Administration and Disaster-risk Management David Maraka gave an assurance that the County government would come in strongly to support the programme so as to change the livelihoods around Kalokol and Kangatotha.
By Ngasike Ezekiel and Peter Gitonga
