the boma project Working Solutions to Climate Change

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1 the boma project Working Solutions to Climate Change As recurring drought devastates their livestock, the pastoral nomads of northern Kenya are learning new ways to make a living. Photographs by David duchemin Malawan Lejalle and her daughter in the nomadic village of Ndikir, near the family hut and chicken coop.

2 Northern Kenya is a remote and neglected region that suffers from extreme poverty and hunger. Severe droughts now threaten the main source of food and income livestock herding that has sustained the pastoral nomads here for centuries. Since 2008, The BOMA Project has been helping residents to start small businesses and earn a sustainable income through the Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP), which offers a seed capital grant, business skills training and two years of mentoring to groups of three participants. As prolonged drought destroys the grazing terrain, warriors take the herds on long trips in search of forage. The women and children are left behind without cattle, their traditional source of food and income. My husband does not know if he will find us alive when he comes home, says Malawan Lejalle (photo at left), who leads a three-woman business group that sells food staples such as beans, tea and sugar to residents in Ndikir. But the last time he returned, he found his eight children doing well. In addition to generating income for food, her business is using its savings to send 17 local children to secondary school. Above: Malawan (in green) counts profits with partner Algoya Basele.

3 Above: A woman in a traditional cloth, called a kanga, walks through the windswept nomadic village of Ong eli in the Kaisut Desert. Warriors like Brilee Rimoti (left) now range farther and farther in search of forage for their herds. The situation is volatile, as armed bandits roam the region to steal livestock, and ethnic tribes clash in violent skirmishes over dwindling natural resources, such as grazing lands and water.

4 Drought has made life harder in many ways. Children walk long distances to collect kindling for the family cooking fires (above), while many livestock the nomad s source of sustenance for centuries have died during the driest conditions in decades. Hunger and malnutrition are at critical levels across the region. Left: Warrior Long erua Letorre brings his cattle home to Ndera village.

5 The traditional nomadic diet relied on cattle milk and blood as the main source of nutrition. As the warriors travel in search of grazing terrain, the women are left to themselves, with no money and no food. Maize flour and cooking oil, often delivered as famine relief by aid organizations, have become the new staples, and sweetened tea is considered a meal. School was not a priority in traditional nomadic culture, but more families are now enrolling their children: Primary school is free, and each child receives a mid-day meal. Students walk as far as 20 kilometers to attend. Above: Nayong Lomurut and Ntojoni Ngosoni serve their children sweet tea for breakfast in front of a family hut.

6 Because many schools do not have a building, teachers often gather under the shade of trees and use a single blackboard. In this photo: Classes at St. Dominique Savior School in Manyatta Lengina village.

7 Ninety percent of REAP participants are women. Studies indicate that economically empowering women the poorest of the poor is an effective way to fight poverty in the developing world. Above: Arbe Wario sells traditional water gourds to visitors and aid workers who frequently travel through her village of Loiyangalani. Right: Halhalo Barmin lives in Goob Barmin, where she and her business partners run a small food kiosk. Savings from the business allowed her to loan her brother money, which provided life-saving medical care for one of his children.

8 Halima Arbele (above) is a BOMA Village Mentor. Mentors are respected local residents who have professional experience; Halima attended secondary school and runs her own small shop. Mentors work closely with each business to ensure success. In this photo, Halima meets with a REAP group for a progress report; she walked 15 kilometers from her home to the nomadic village of Obregebo, where the women have opened a kiosk. Left: BOMA entrepreneurs sell potatoes at the market in Loglogo, one of the few areas in the semi-arid Laisamis District where it s possible to raise crops. The women bring their produce to market every day of the week, except Sundays. photography The BOMA Project / David duchemin. All rights reserved. bomaproject.org

9 BOMA mentor John Lesas reviews a record book with a business group in the village of Ngurunit. John is a highly regarded primary school teacher and community leader in the village.

10 Beading is a traditional nomadic skill; the women in this Laisamis village business group sell their products to travelers who pass through northern Kenya on the Pan-African Highway. Laisamis District an area larger than the country of Rwanda has only two medical clinics and no paved roads, post offices or banks.

11 Three BOMA entrepreneurs Gumato Lomurut, Ntelengon Lamut and Kehsimo Eisemkelle cross the Kaisut Desert on the way from their nomadic settlement, Nemerai, to the settled village of Korr. They buy food and supplies from a wholesaler in Korr, and then sell the goods in their village kiosk. They used to haul the supplies home on their backs; now they can afford to hire mules. Sometimes they also hire a warrior to protect them from bandits and wild animals.

12 Eighty of BOMA s 520 businesses operate near the settled village of Loiyangalani on Lake Turkana, the world s largest desert lake and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many of the business groups buy fish along on the shoreline and resell it dried or fresh for retail prices at market. Right: Etelej Erumu and Nakorodio Esimit stack dried fish for resale.

13 Five young men in Loiyangalani used the $150 REAP seedcapital grant to start Umoja Petroleum, the only source of diesel fuel in the district. They buy drums of diesel at wholesale and then sell the fuel in small quantities at retail price. The fuel drums are delivered by transport lorries that haul fish from Lake Turkana to larger markets. Ahmed Kura Omar (left), the BOMA Operations Director in Kenya, meets with Rebecca Lesuper, a BOMA Village Mentor in South Horr. Local leadership the transfer of skills, knowledge and resources to community members is the philosophical cornerstone of the BOMA microfinance program.

14 Raphaela Mpiraon Neepe is the only educated woman in the village of Kamboe and has worked for several NGOs. As a volunteer BOMA Village Mentor, she meets with REAP participants to review record books. Many of the businesses now have savings, often kept in a metal lockbox. A new BOMA program stresses the importance of savings and explains options like mobile banking.

15 Each business supports three women and an average of fifteen children; an impact survey showed that REAP participants use the income to pay for food, medical care and school supplies for their families. Above: Adowto Isandab used income from her business to buy school supplies for her son, Schola. Right: Sabthio Wambile feeds a child by lantern light.

16 The BOMA Project works to improve the lives of the marginalized residents of northern Kenya through economic empowerment, education, advocacy and the training of a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders info@bomaproject.org Nayong Lomurut with her daughter, Ntimiran.