INTRODUCTION
Social protection, youth, and women empowerment are key areas of focus in Turkana, where communities face a range of challenges, including poverty, limited access to education, and economic opportunities. APaD (Agency for Pastoralist Development) is actively involved in initiatives that aim to enhance social protection, empower youth, and uplift women in this marginalized region. These efforts are crucial for fostering sustainable development and improving the overall well-being of Turkana’s communities.
Social Protection in Turkana
Social protection in Turkana involves providing safety nets to vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, and marginalized groups, to help them cope with economic and environmental shocks. The region’s high poverty levels, food insecurity, and vulnerability to climate change make social protection essential.
- Capacity Building and Awareness: APaD conducts awareness campaigns and training sessions to educate communities about available social protection services and how to access them. By empowering individuals with knowledge, APaD ensures that social protection measures reach those who need them most.
Youth Empowerment
Youth in Turkana face significant barriers, including high unemployment rates, limited access to quality education, and a lack of economic opportunities. Empowering the youth is critical for the region’s future, as it helps to drive economic growth, reduce poverty, and mitigate the risk of conflict.
- Youth Entrepreneurship Support: APaD encourages youth entrepreneurship by providing training in business development and offering start-up kits to help young people start their own ventures. By fostering entrepreneurship, APaD helps youth create jobs for themselves and others, contributing to the local economy.
Women Empowerment
Women in Turkana play a central role in their communities but often face significant challenges, including gender discrimination, limited access to education, and economic marginalization. Empowering women is essential for achieving gender equality and improving the overall well-being of the community.
- Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs): APaD has established VSLAs across Turkana, particularly focusing on women. These groups provide a platform for women to save money, access small loans, and invest in income-generating activities. VSLAs have proven effective in promoting financial independence and entrepreneurship among women, enabling them to contribute more significantly to household income.
- Advocacy and Awareness Campaigns: APaD actively advocates for women’s rights and gender equality. The organization conducts awareness campaigns to challenge cultural norms that perpetuate gender discrimination and works to increase women’s participation in decision-making processes at the community level.
- Leadership and Capacity Building: APaD offers leadership training for women, encouraging them to take on leadership roles within their communities. This training includes education on civic rights, public speaking, and advocacy, equipping women with the tools they need to lead and influence positive change.
APaD’s Community Engagement
The organization works closely with community members to identify their needs and develop programs that are culturally sensitive and locally relevant. APaD also partners with local governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that its interventions are comprehensive and sustainable.
Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights
APaD promotes Sexual Reproductive Health Right (SRHR) within the community by incorporating community organs into SRHR dialogue sessions. We understand the SRHR challenges within our community including: FGM; early (child) marriages; early pregnancies and limited use of contraception. The main problem for the community being lack of information and access to SRHR services. The statics for Turkana County are worrying with Early and Forced marriage at 32% and early pregnancy at 102 out of 1000 women were below age of 19 while illiteracy levels are at 82%
Through our SRHR work, we commit to ensure that the community access accurate and timely information on SRHR to enable them make informed choices about their reproductive health. We address these challenges by giving information to the community that is accurate, timely and appropriate and also advocating for efficient and effective SRHR service by government and other service providers. APaD has been able to support information sharing and sensitization of the community through Responding to Emerging and Protracted Humanitarian Need programme that aimed to enhance community awareness, educate on the importance of SRHR, and facilitate access to necessary services. We envision a community that is well informed and able to utilize SRHR services and resources for improved health outcomes.
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