Great things are not done by impulse but by a series of small things brought together.
Founded by a 30 member professionals from Loima Sub county the organization constituency basically was composed of pastoralist individuals and groups hence the ultimate reason why it aimed to address the root causes of continued marginalization of the pastoralists as manifested in serious inadequacy of social and physical infrastructure and facilities, low levels of public participation of the greater Kenyan society, insecurity, poverty and high illiteracy levels among others
In 2004 the organization Inspired by the desire to streamline and create a sustainable approach and strategy to conflict management in the conflict prone pastoral areas on Turkana(Loima) and the neighboring Cross border communities the organization joined a consortium of other partners under the umbrella by then Riam-Riam Turkana network and a sister organization in Uganda called Riam-Riam Karamoja funded by Oxfam whose main principle objective was to facilitate and promote development and stability of the larger Turkana Region by managing and resolving rampant conflicts in the area.
Through the wider partnerships, Riam Riam was able to involve all partners as part of the management team. The partners helped in writing proposals for fundraising and profiling
As a peace building organization, the Alliance for Pastoralists Development by then was able to respond proactively to extraneous issues of insecurity in order to prevent conflicts and mitigate adverse effects. This saw the organization implementing a USAID funded PEACE I (2008-2009), PEACE II (2012-2014).
In 2019, the organization registered as Agency for Cross Border Pastoralists Development (APaD) as a national Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with its headquarters in Lodwar, Turkana County and its field office in Lokiriama Peace Centre, Lokiriama (Loima Sub County)
Today, we are working and implementing programs in Turkana and West Pokot Counties and across the Ethiopian, Ugandan and South Sudan borders. , with many of partners, allies, and communities. We focus on the economic, environmental, education, climate change adaptation and social issues impacting the pastoralist communities of Turkana County, West Pokot County, and the cross-border regions of Ethiopia, South Sudan and North Eastern Uganda. Specifically, APaD addresses the continued marginalization of pastoralist communities in the region through advocacy to address inadequate and lack of physical infrastructure and facilities, limited access to social and health services, low levels of public affairs, continuous insecurity, high levels of illiteracy, exploitation of natural resources and depletion of livelihoods.
However, the organization is governed by a general assembly, which is the supreme governing body of APaD. It is responsible for policy formulation and shall give directions to the other organs of the organisation. The Board is the policy-making organ of the organization. It provides guidelines on and approves organizational policies, structure, programs, strategic plan, and budget.
APaD Board of Directors is made up of nine (9) professionals including public servants from throughout Turkana County. These individuals govern the organization according to relevant policies, provide technical support and guidance in strategic planning, project development and activity implementation and strengthen APaD’s networks and partnerships.