Kenya
ADRA Kenya
Serving the local population since 1993
Since 1993, ADRA Kenya has sought to build the capacity of the most vulnerable individuals and communities. This is achieved by prioritizing WASH, food security, and emergency response. Programs designed to help vulnerable groups include anti-FGM (female genital mutilation) initiatives, child education support and development, and the Mwingi Disaster Risk Reduction program, teaching farmers efficiency and water management.
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Confridah’s Story
Kenya
Makai’s Story
Kenya
Confridah’s Story
Kenya
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Confridah’s Story
Fifteen-year-old Confridah started high school with excitement. She excelled in her studies and had plans to go to a university in the future. Her father had different plans.
He had secretly found a husband for his daughter, and keeping with the custom in many parts of Kenya, he was going to have her circumcised.
Female circumcision, more accurately known as female genital mutilation (FGM), is a pervasive cultural practice that scars, damages, and sometimes even kills the women and girls who undergo the process. Age is rarely a factor, with reports of girls as young as 4 and 5 years old being circumcised.
When Confridah learned of her father’s intentions, she ran away from home. She wanted to stay in school and receive an education, not become a tragic statistic. Church leaders sheltered her until she was able to connect with ADRA, an agency she was assured could help her.
ADRA works hard to eradicate FGM in Kenya by implementing programs like the Girls’ Empowerment project. These programs educate girls about their body and their rights, as well as rescue girls whose body and rights are being violated.
Also provided are life skills workshops that teach vulnerable girls and their families the value of a healthy woman and provide assistance in vocational training and school enrollment.
Thanks to the Girls’ Empowerment project in Kenya, 670 girls have been saved from FGM.
Confridah is one of those girls. ADRA helped reenroll her in school, and she is now an academic and female rights mentor with the ADRA school program, Kenya’s Girls’ Club. The 20 girls in this club meet regularly to organize community outreach so they can encourage and empower other young girls.
ADRA believes in the power of women like Confridah, whose passion ignites people around her to create change.
Makai’s Story
Kenya
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Makai’s Story
Makai’s story is not uncommon in the Mandera area of Kenya. She has lived through times of plenty and seen her family grow and prosper, but her world was forever changed a few years ago.
“Before my husband passed away, we used to be one of the leading livestock traders in Takaba, with overwhelming numbers of camel, goats, and cattle. After his death, I was already suffering and then we suffered a lack of rain for three consecutive seasons.”
ADRA targeted 500 households in the isolated Mandera region of Kenya with a combination of food aid, agricultural training, multi-story gardens, and support for sustainable food production.
“Most of the earth pans dried and 75% of my livestock succumbed to the shocking drought. The remaining animals were emaciated and I had to sell them at a throwaway price to support my eight children.”
You can see the hurt in her eyes when she recounts the pain and anguish of not just losing her husband, but the subsequent loss of her livelihood, and the difficulty it caused her family.
“Livestock used to be the only source of livelihood for our household. Skipping a meal was therefore not avoidable as eight children were too much for a vulnerable widow,” says Makai.
Her face changes and her eyes look up as she begins telling her journey with ADRA Kenya. “God sent to us ADRA Kenya and I was considered to be among the 40 beneficiary households.”
ADRA provided Makai’s family with food but, more importantly, worked with her to plant a garden of diverse vegetables. Having this sustainable source of produce means that her and her eight children have a constant source of nutrition.
Makai proudly shows us her flourishing garden of kale, tomato and spinach; full of greenery amongst the background of red dirt.
When the family has extra produce, they are able to sell it for income as well. “I am selling three leaves of kale at Ksh. 20 (USD$0.22 cents), I have been able to earn more than Ksh. 800 (USD$8.88) in the last three weeks.”
“ADRA Kenya has also supported us with enough seeds and I am now planning to establish nurseries for the second crop of kale, spinach and tomatoes.”
As a widow and a mother, Makai faced an uncertain future. But because of her hard work and partnership with ADRA Kenya, Makai and her children, can look forward to a future full of hope.
Kenya Office
Marcel Kaba, Country Director
Nairobi, KENYA
+254722697888
Additional Information
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Capacity Statement Overview
Food Today and Tomorrow for Mandera (FTTM) is an innovative approach to ensuring food security for 500 families in the arid border town of Mandera. Through improved agricultural techniques and innovations, communities living in some of the harshest conditions in Kenya are now equipped to grow and maintain a productive and nutritious bounty at their own homes. Not only does this agricultural ability accommodate their dietary needs, but also it creates a consistent income source to provide for the future. In addition to supplying the tools, seeds, and training needed to yield the best crop, ADRA Kenya also hosts cooking demonstrations to ensure the tastiest and most effective results.
Our Capacity Statement further highlights the projects, programs, and people of ADRA Kenya.
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Country Overview
Amid the scenic and cultural beauty of Africa’s premier tourist destination live millions of people struggling to survive. Severe water shortages, chronic food insecurity, and limited access to education and health care contribute to the socioeconomic crisis, while recent acts of terrorism have heightened stress and security concerns.