PASTORALIST CENTRE FOR EMPOWEMENT

INITIATIVES (PACE-IN)

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Is a grassroot local community initiative formed by and serving the marginalized nomadic pastoralist community living in merti subcounty, Isiolo, Kenya. 

Merti sub-county is situated on GPS 38°53’35.6°N, 77°02’13.7W. It’s 570kms. /10hrs. drive North of Capital city Nairobi.

Map of Isiolo county showing location of merti sub-county in which PACE-IN operate.

The local communities practice pastoral-nomadism activities as livelihood and traditional cultural lifestyle where they keep indigenous traditional breeds of cattle and shoats.

Merti sub county is characterized by dry hot weather conditions, low and irregular rainfall. The area is prone to frequent draughts which cause devastating loss to the community.

The residents of merti sub-county are predominantly members of Borana ethnic tribe/ community. They live by and abide to their traditional cultural beliefs /practices. The Borana tribe are subdivided into clans and sub-clans i.e ancestral lineages. Elders who are the most revered members of the communiy play vital in daily affairs of the community.

Old women singing traditional song

PASTORALIST CENTER FOR EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE (PACE-IN )

 was formed to serve as pivotal platform and umbrella for empowerment by the local community. PACE-IN is made up as consortium of groups serving interest of different and diversified members in the community i.e. widows/ single mothers, orphans and vulnerable, special need persons, youths and aged. By consolidating efforts and roles of all community members, making participatory prioritized planning for sustainable projects, PACE-IN has been spear heading home grown solutions for local challenges.

Elders in a community welfare meeting

MISSION

To initiate developmental transformation by empowering traditional pastoral-nomadic community by introducing them to opportunities to catch up with the pace of modern world through networking, linkage and partnership.

OBJECTICVES

To make livestock keeping a viable souTrce of livelihood by linking the community to support services.

To empower pastoral-nomadic communities to identify, manage, conserve and utilize locally available resource to diversify their source of livelihood.

To work on and improve traditional knowledge for developmental transformation.

To uproot negative cultural practices eg. Female genital mutilation FGM, Child/ forceful marriage, Gender discrimination/ inequalities.

Improve community health, hygiene and nutrition.

Taking care of orphans and vulnerable children in the community.

Core values

  • Impartiality
  • Integrity and professionalism
  • Accountability and transparency

PACE-IN ACTIVITIES/ SUCCESS

To achieve sustainable development objective community empowerment through capacity building trainings and advocacy strategy has been incorporated in all the six core projects/ activities. Since we believe in “teaching how to fish than to give a fish” we have made substantial positive impact on the community members.

 A). Women project serving the interest of widows and single mothers is getting momentum as 48 mothers have been trained and introduced to income generating activities.

B). Children Care project for Orphans and vulnerable has a total of 60 children who are supported under the care of their relatives/ guardians.

PACE_IN have been working closely with other stake holders and key players to ensure that every child has access to basic services eg. food, shelter, Education, health care and rights and protection. Community resource and training center / demonstration farm established on a 20ha. piece of land along the banks of Ewasongiro river where community members learn new skills eg. Livestock breed upgrading through cross breeding, crop farming, fish and chicken rearing and tree seedlings planting has been running successfully for 2 yrs. despite various challenges at the beginning stage.

 This center also serves as a coordination point of PACE-IN activities/projects. A conference hall made of locally available cheap materials provides a space for meetings and trainings. Plans at advanced stage to start a technical training program for youths who will acquire technical skills eg. Mechanic, building, tailoring, leatherwork etc. Offering such skill we believe our youths who dropped out of schools will get opportunity to be productive in life.

D). As PACE-IN’ we have identified and capacity strengthened our own ‘expatriates’, although it may sound somehow strange, there are persons within the community who have various informal knowledge and skills. The positive impact of this effort is more than anticipated eg. The training for Traditional birth attendants TBA’s Traditional Elders, Traditional birth attendants (TBA’s), human and veterinary herbalist, community volunteers and traditional weather fore casters has increased the number of mothers attending health facilities thus reducing cases maternal mortality. The same applies to others. 

From such promising experience we learnt that:  development starts from within the community and no community is short of development power.

Introducing the community to opportunities is better than introducing donations to community.

Communities have their own local priorities, plans and capabilities although they require support for implementation.

REUSABLE SANITARY TOWELS AND SOAP MADE BY PACE-IN WOMEN

PACE-IN’   PRINCIPLES

Working for and with all focused on development regardless of any discrimination.

Prioritized inclusive planning for susteinable grassroots development

Homegrown innovations for empowerment and solutions to local challenges

PACE-IN ANTI FGM/C COMMUNITY AWARENESS,

SENSITIZATION AND CAMPAIGNS

While the prevalence of FGM/C in Kenya in recent years is relatively low FGM/C is distributed variably in nomadic pastoralist communities in 10 counties, By using communication for social change and encouraging communities to embrace positive traditional values and exclude FGM/C, There are indications of the effectiveness of some of these interventions, particularly community-led approaches that have targeted high prevalence areas like Isiolo county.

Isiolo is one of Kenya’s 47 counties, and anti-FGM/C campaigns date back to the generation of the early 2000 when many NGO’s engaged in efforts fight the practice, the government outlawed the practice in 2011 but communities in isiolo county did not follow the directives and continued the practice. It is believed that the practice went underground and girls were taken to rural villages for the cut, this made actual data of the practice and victims hidden from the public and authorities,

Different and series of interventions have been deployed through intensive media outreach, the involvement of policymakers, antiFGM/C advocates, Traditional elders, religious leaders, Community based organizations and groups. And while such initiatives have served to raise awareness in an effort to change beliefs, attitudes, complications related the war against FGM/C in this county is yet to be won as the practice continues to be performed secretly. One explanation may be that interventions to halt the practice tend to be isolated and uncoordinated and some of the interventions do not aim to change the cause of the practice – the “mental map”. As members of PACE-IN, we feel its our duty and obligations to ensure this dangerous, outdated and inhuman practice is eradicated from our community. Since our start in 2014 we tried our best though with many challenges.

In May 2020 for the first time we got support from Rosie to conduct 3 months intensive awareness training and community dialogues, She trained our team and developed training materials, content and logistics which made our activities and objectives to be full of positive impact and success,.

Blind folded 10 year old girl and and traditional “surgeon“ holding razor blade ready for evil FGM/C operation

Opinions of the people/participants on interventions and campaigns to end FGM/C       “We have put in a lot of effort in terms of teaching people about circumcision and the dangers of it. As a result of receiving education on the dangers of FGM/C in schools there was a perception that girls and young women are better equipped to resist the practice. Having positive “role models” in the community who were open about not undergoing FGM/C also enabled peer support and reduced any feelings of isolation or being seen as different. “Education still plays an important role in ending circumcision because girls who are educated know their rights … “when a girl goes to secondary schools and knows that other girls are not circumcised, and the teachers are also not circumcised, and their lives are alright, this helps a lot.” “Nowadays most girls do not want to be circumcised, they have completely refused.

Most of them say they will not get circumcised even if it means they do not get someone to marry them.” .

Where men’s desires to maintain control over a woman and ensure she was ‘disciplined’ once encouraged the practice, the education of men on this issue had supported this cultural shift to the extent that men do not want to marry circumcised women.

“Even some men of today; they do not want circumcised girls; and this means that there is the potential for girls’ circumcision to die out completely.”

Finally, participants highlighted that community policing strategies, such as the Nyumba Kumi initiative, introduced in the country between 2007 and 2008, may have played a part in changing norms regarding the practice of FGM/C. Nyumba Kumi is a strategy of anchoring community policing at the household level and is aimed at bringing the local community together in a pursuit of common ideals such as a safe, sustainable and prosperous neighbourhood. Some participants reported that this strategy operated in villages to monitor and report when the practice was occurring so that those responsible could face consequences. “There are those who have been elected to be in the ‘Nyumba Kumi‘, these people know what happens in every household and report any such cases. So, having such people is helpful to the community life , they are doing a great job, because if you have a visitor in the home as a member of Nyumba Kumi I will know. If you have circumcised your daughter I will know as a member of this ‘Nyumba.’

Actions perceived to bring change in the practice of FGM/C.

Participants described initiatives and actions such as;

  1. Continuous awareness and campaigns
  2. encouraging fathers’ involvement in the upbringing of theirdaughters,
  3. inclusion of the topic of FGM/C in the current educationcurriculum and public fora,
  4. strengthening the community policing strategy -Nyumba Kumi, 5) setting up community centers for Psycho-social support for victims and survivors of FGM/C and vulnerable girls eg. orphans.

6) Supporting mothers/women through economic empowerment

Encouraging fathers’ involvement in their daughters lives

Men were generally deemed as opposed to the practice and hence were considered as influencers in stopping the practice.

Participants, particularly male participants, underscored the lack of close relationships with their daughters as a potential deterrent to realising change in the practice. Most noted that if men were more closely involved in the upbringing of their daughters, they would most probably be privy to any plans to have their daughters subjected to the practice and would be more influential in effecting change.

PACE-IN Anti-FGM community dialogues

The need to include FGM/C as a topic in the current school curriculum and openly discuss FGM/C in public forums and sessions was suggested.

“Is it possible to work with the Ministry of Education to include this topic in the curriculum? There is no such topic covered in the curriculum at the moment other than the rites that were performed a long time ago. So this topic has not been introduced in the curriculum and it would be a good idea to incorporate in there. I suggest we include the teachings in the school curriculum and there should be forums to talk about the practice and also parliament should debate this issue thoroughly, may be this would make it more effective.”

Building on existing community-based strategies

Participants argued for the need to adopt a bottom-up approach in dealing with the practice as they considered this to be the most effective avenue to eliminate the practice. In particular building on systems already in place, such as the Nyumba Kumi strategy that focuses on information sharing, especially over security threats was believed would be hugely effective. While participants also underscored the shortcomings of this community policing, there was consensus that if strengthened it would be the most effective and potentially the most sustainable to help determine households that were still practicing FGM/C and girls that are vulnerable Setting up community centres for Psycho-social support There was consensus among participants of the need to pay particular attention to the needs of victims, survivors and vulnerable girls and orphans, placing them in schools or community centres. This it was believed would potentially reduce the incidences of FGM/C in this area. Orphans were described as the most vulnerable to the practice of FGM/C with orphaned girls more likely to get married.

Support

Supporting mothers/women through economic empowerment

Because women/mothers in our community have undergone the

evil practice during their days, they are the ones in a better position to ensure their daughters Will NOT face the pain and agony of FGM/C, economically independent woman will have strong voice in the community and capable of educating her daughter.


PACE-IN volunteer trained and mentored by Rosie passing knowledge to local women and girls

PACE-IN ADULT EDUCATION PROJECT: Women attending literacy, numeracy and life skills sessions

TRAINING COURSE ON PREVENTION AND AWARENESS OF FGM

Start Date May 2020

INTRODUCTION

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a term now generally accepted for the traditional practices that involves injury or removal of part or all of the external genitalia of girls and women. It does not include genital surgery performed for medically prescribed reasons. Prior to the adoption of “female genital mutilation”, the practices were referred to as female circumcision, a term still in common use and preferred by the majority of people in communities where it is practiced.

Traditions are the customs, beliefs and values of a community which govern and influence people’s behavior. Traditions constitute learned habits which are passed on from generation to generation. Traditions are often guided by taboos and they are not easy to change. People adhere to these patterns of behavior, believing that they are the right things to do.

This training is aimed at strengthening community-based preventive work to protect the rights of children (as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) with a particular view to reducing the risk to girls and young women in merti subcounty of undergoing genital mutilation in all its forms.

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the training the participants should be able to:

Understand the traditional beliefs of FGM and its consequences

Acquire skills facilitating reaching out to communities to combat

FGM

To identify and to manage the physical, psychosocial, and sexual complications that is as of female genital mutilation.

Identify problems and manage complication associated with FGM this includes; getting guidance and counseling, opening up on FGM, and management of other complications associated with FGM.

ATTENDANTS

Nurses, public health officers, Teachers community health volunteers, community groups leaders, Traditional elders and religious leaders

Training OUTLINE

MODULE 1: Introduction to Female Genital Mutilation

Assessment of traditions supporting FGM

FGM description and background

FGM Complications

FGM implications (Legal, professional, and ethical)

Human rights and FGM

MODULE 2: Community Involvement in the Prevention of Female

Genital Mutilation

Beliefs, values and attitudes

Traditional beliefs, values and attitudes towards FGM

FGM prevention by collaboration between individuals, families and communities

Government strategies in preventing FGM

MODULE 3: Management of Girls and Women with FGM Complications

Assessment to identify FGM physical complications

Management of clients with physical complications of FGM

Counseling of FGM victims

Identifying psychosocial and sexual problems

Psychosocial and sexual problems management

Demonstrating referral skills

Family planning and FGM

The procedure of opening up type III FGM

MODULE 4: Management of Women with FGM during Pregnancy, Labour, Delivery and the Postpartum Period

Assessment and management of women with complications due to FGM during pregnancy

Obstetric complications due to FGM

Assessment and management of women with FGM during labour and delivery

Management of women with FGM during the postpartum period

OUR ACTIVITIES

PACE-IN WOMEN EMPOWEMENT PROJECT

Pastoralist Women’ Subordination

Every pastoralist community is different, but they share some basic similarities. Gender

inequality is acute and deep-rooted, much more so than in society at large.

Women have:

very low social status, very low literacy levels, very restricted roles in public life,

restricted ownership of livestock (cattle and camels) – the main store of wealth in pastoral economies.

Some aspects of women’s subordination are:

very limited access to education for girls, very limited access to training for women,

very limited access to information – few women own or have access to radios, and so they

do not benefit even when are there valuable radio programs in local languages that give

market information and access to wider discussions of new ideas and prospective economic opportunities.

Restrictions on women’s ability to travel

Early marriage – most pastoralist women are married in their (early) teens

Harmful traditional practices such as polygamy, wife inheritance and FGM

The payment of “bride prices”, which encourage people to view women as property.

Gender inequality in pastoral communities is acute and deeprooted, much more so than in

society at large. The pastoral economy is based on livestock – camels, cattle, sheep and goats.

These are the principal assets and store of wealth. But, across the region, social morals limit

women’s ownership of camels and cattle. With a rigid gender division of labor, the exclusion of

women from ownership of the main store of wealth is central to gender disparity in pastoral

communities. But, women generally own small stock – goats and sheep.

A widow carrying a baby heading loaded camels on journey in search of water and pasture due to severe draught season.

They also have

user rights over small plots of land, which they devote to the limited range of pastoral-area crops

and to horticulture. Enhancing productivity in these are Obstacles to Business and Economic Development in Pastoral Areas Economic diversification in pastoral areas faces a number of obstacles:

Poor transport and telecommunications infrastructure

Lack of or poor connection to power

Irregular and seasonal incomes

Drought, risk and uncertainty

Remoteness and low population densities

Very low cash incomes and thin local markets

Another very significant obstacle to progress is the very low level of human capital in pastoralist

communities, which waste the talents of women and girls to an exceptional degree.

There are different, locally specific, challenges in promoting women’s economic empowerment.

Women’s lack of access to credit is often, though not always, a binding constraint. Micro-finance

projects face particular difficulties in semi-arid areas – chief among these are poor transport and

communications infrastructure, the geographical dispersion of populations, which make per unit

transaction costs very high, and insecurity of land tenure. Pastoral mobility and climatic vulnerability (with highly covariant risks) also pose problems. Despite these difficulties, rural finance can work in pastoral areas, if programs are well-designed. Nevertheless, there is a need of finance options for women in these areas. Restrictions on Women’s Access to and Control over Assets In pastoral communities, household wealth is held overwhelmingly in the form of livestock.

In her passion and efforts to support her fellow women who are unprivileged in this remote part of the world Rosie responded to their request and filled the gap after they raised a quarter (25%) of amount required to purchase a tricycle. This will ease the burden of fetching water and other materials for their household income,

Women fetching water for sale and contributing towards purchasing a tricycle.

OPPORTUNITIES

There is considerable scope to increase women’s incomes through the provision of new stock .and through improved breeds, seeds and techniques. Women can become suppliers to larger commercial concerns and can themselves take up processing activities. There is also a range of alternative economic activities that women can undertake – such as dress and soap making.

In March 2021 PACE-IN got donations of some sewing machines and materials from Our reliable friend and partner Rosie. It was a blessing which boosted Tailoring project from which 47 women directly benefited and many more undergoing the training.

The Value of Business Skills Training

It is difficult to isolate and assess the impact of our generic business skills training. Participants’

evaluations have been strongly positive, and there has been a tremendous amount of

enthusiasm among pastoralist women, for whom such

interventions are rare. In follow-ups,

months after training, participants indicate that they have become better at managing their Microenterprises and report increased incomes.

Multifunctional Sewing machines purchased for PACE-IN Tailoring project by our friend and partner Rosie

Desktop computers purchased in March 2020 by Rosie for PACE-IN office and administration activities

PACE-IN CONTACTS

Email; paceinorg@gmail.com

Phone ;+254742303515

Facebook Page: PACE-IN

Nomadic pastoralist community can decide their destiny.

There is perception associating pastoral-nomadism with poverty, their cultural lifestyles regarded as outdated thus they are always neglected. The truth is that this community is the most hardworking and productive enduring all sort of hardship, both natural eg. Draughts and artificial eg.marginalization.

Major challenges leading to their vulnerabilty is limited opportunity for empowerment,networking and linkages.

Solutions for poverty in nomadic pastoralist community.

For long period of time NGO’s, charitable foundations and philanthropist have sacrificed their time,energy and resources in the course they believe in, poverty eradication is my case in point; but what is poverty? what is the cause? and the best solution?

PACE-IN request you to reason with us that poverty is not a condition in which people are embroiled but just situation in which someone is introduced due to limited opportunities. You can not be poor becouse you live in a desert full of only sand and stones but becouse you dont have capacity to utilize your ‘resources’ stones and sand, remember they may be in high demand and valuable in a neighbouring city of rich people building palatial homes.

The best way to eradicate poverty is through empowerment amd capacity strengthening especially at the grassroot local community level!