Officers and stakeholders in Nyamira implementing reform programmes have been challenged to sustain achievements attained courtesy of support by the Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC) programme.
An Assistant County Commissioner (ACC) in Nyamira County, Ms. Ann Mwaniki, pointed out that most donor-funded programmes geared toward improving citizens’ lives face sustainability challenges once the donor’s timeframe has expired, leaving nothing to be celebrated about thereafter.
“Officers deployed in departments implementing donor-funded projects must be swift in scouting and sourcing for partners for collaboration to ensure that the well-intentioned care reforms are sustained to nurture thriving families in our communities.” She advised.
“The CTWWC project has reintegrated several children from Children Charitable Institutions (CCIs) back to home environments; they financially strengthen households supporting vulnerable children so that they can live and grow in conducive and nurturing environments because they have great potential to grow our country’s economy not long from now when they are adults.” The ACC stated.
She noted that mutual collaboration with government and other like-minded partners made the CTWWC programme a great success in Nyamira County, confirming that the county managed to formulate and launch the Nyamira County Child Policy and Disability Act 2023.
“These two documents for child care and persons with disabilities are key in enabling the county government of Nyamira to allocate budgets for implementing care reform programmes to make the lives of these vulnerable groups of people bearable and conducive because they deserve better.
CTWWC Project Director Timon Mainga affirmed that close mutual collaboration by state and non-state actors has enabled Nyamira County to make great achievements in care reforms, and they must therefore source more partners who are ready to co-fund to ensure that the reforms are sustained so that vulnerable families are strengthened to actualise self-sustainability.
“The programme has equally been facing its share of challenges, like delays in the establishment of the Persons with Disability (PWD) board, which is scheduled for 2024, leading to a missed opportunity to capacity build the board members on resource mobilisation, governance, and disability inclusion.” Mainga noted.
The County Executive Committee Member for Gender Sports Youth and Social Services, Dr. Grace Nyamongo, greatly appreciates the support and collaboration by CTWWC because through this synergy, Nyamira County has managed to attain remarkable achievements in childcare reforms and disability inclusion worth emulating by other counties in the country.
“We shall work round the clock to ensure that we source more partners and bring them to a common table to support the implementation and sustainability of the child policy and disability ACT so that our people can enjoy the fruits of devolution.” Dr. Nyamongo assured.
CTWWC was a programme initiated in 2018 in Nyamira and four counties in Kenya, which include Kisumu, Siaya, Kilifi, and Mombasa, to pilot child care reforms at county levels to shape care reforms in other counties and the country at large.
By Deborah Bochere
