GEOGRAPHIC REGION
Africa
PARTNER
Our partner in Kenya is the Anglican Church of Kenya, Mt Kenya West Diocese.
Kenya is located on the east coast of Africa, sharing borders with Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. It has a population of 38 million people, with more than 45 per cent of the population living in poverty. The country is ranked at 146 on the UN’s Human Development Index, out of 188 countries. Children growing up in semi-nomadic Maasai and Samburu communities in Kenya face specific challenges. These communities move regularly with their livestock according to the availability of water, pasture and other resources, and often in remote areas at great distances from essential services such as health care. Lack of access to maternal and child health care means a high infant mortality rate, high maternal death rates, and poor health and nutrition for the surviving children. The spread of disease is more likely as people move across the country, and children are vulnerable to diarrhea, measles, malaria and HIV. The Road Less Travelled These semi-nomadic pastoralist families live in remote and challenging places, often with little access to clean water, basic health care, community education or opportunities for increased income. The project provided inclusive services that have been adapted to the way of life of marginalised people – a life-saving program for many households.
We also worked with the Anglican Church of Kenya on The Road Less Travelled project from 2011 to 2016. This project worked with Samburu and Maasai communities to improve the nutrition and health of women and children.
Anglican Overseas Aid has had a relationship with the Mt Kenya West Diocese since 1995. Since 2000, we have been supporting the Anglican Church of Kenya in its efforts to improve access to health for women and children, and addressing the links between poverty and violence against women and children.
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Imarisha Maisha – Safe and Resilient Communities project
We are supporting the Imarisha Maisha project in Kenya. The name of the project means ‘strengthen life’.
The project aims to strengthen community structures in 13 high-risk locations in Nyeri and Laikipia North counties. It will do this by strengthening community structures so they can improve the way children and other vulnerable groups are protected from harm.
While differences in power between men and women are the main causes of violence in these communities, other contributors include increasing poverty levels and not enough access to productive resources and opportunities.
To counter this, the project strengthens community structures with the aim of promoting safety, resilience, and self-reliance by doing the following:
- Community leaders, including local chiefs and Nyumba Kumi (grassroots representatives) are given greater knowledge of legal rights, including family violence and child protection so that communities can be safer.
- Local clergy (who are trusted in the communities) are trained on “Biblical Perspectives on Gender-Based Violence”, and greater emphasis is placed on working with men to be part of the change process.
- With the Kenyan Department of Education, the project will continue building a network of “Child Guidance Counsellors”. This allows schools to identify and work with children showing signs of trauma or distress.
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Funding: The Imarisha Maisha project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) together with donations from the Australian public.
Every donation you make to this project will be combined with funding from the Australian Government to reach more people. We have committed to contribute $1 for every $5 we receive from the Australian Government. Your donation will allow us to extend our programs.
If you would like to donate to our work in Kenya, click on the ‘Please Donate’ button (choose ‘Kenya – Imarisha – building safer communities’ from the ‘Donation’ drop-down menu):
