1. Laisamis Sub-County Food & Nutrition Security And Resilience
Enhancement Project (FONSAREP)
Training of ToTs on Disaster Risk Management
26th
– 29th
April 2016
Laisamis DRM team at Nabosu hotel (Picture by Victor Kamadi)
PROJECT GOAL
Implemented by
2. Contribute to improved food and nutrition security and enhanced resilience
to droughts in Laisamis Sub- County by 2017
Objective 1.0: To improve food and nutrition security and income for 700
households in Laisamis Sub- County by 2017
Objective 2.0: Improved nutrition status of children under five and pregnant &
lactating mothers (PLM)
Facilitators
Training was facilitated and supported by:
Oyoko Omondi - National DRM Coordinator
Charles Komolleh - Project Officer, Sanitation & Hygiene / MHM Project
Introduction
Marsabit County in Northern Kenya, an ASAL, region, has over the recent past adversely
affected by the disasters such as drought, famine, 2011, being the recent past, and
subsequent poor distribution of short rains, with a significant deterioration in the
nutrition status of children (GoK). There is, therefore, need for interventions to address
the deteriorating nutrition status of the people in such hard to reach areas. Laisamis
Sub-County Food & Nutrition Security And Resilience Enhancement Project
(FONSAREP), is working with communities in the pastoral setup on interventions
targeting food and nutrition security. This is through implementation of activities in
partnership with local institutions. Dissemination of key messages on dietary diversity,
smart food choices, sanitation and hygiene, child care practices, food safety and
healthcare uptake is key focus. Food and Security interventions are targeting Mother To
Mother Support groups, who are majorly Women Under Reproductive Age (WRA).
Disasters hurt the poor and vulnerable the most. Training on DRM to the community is
an impetus to enable them identify with their environmental set up, derive copying
mechanism and local solutions to local problems. DRM training is aimed at as setting
clear benchmarks for monitoring intervention performance, to help determine
awareness how conversant people are with disasters within their context.
A total of 45 participants were trained on DRM. These comprised of Lead Mothers from
the 35 Mother To Mother Support Groups, youth, local leaders and Sub-County
Administration. Participants came from three wards within Laisamis and Korr divisions. 9
sites were represented from which the 35 Mother Support Groups are located. These
site include: Laisamis, Logologo, Merille, Lontolio, Ngurnit. Lependera, Korr, Namarey
and Kamboe
3. Lead
Mothers
Youth Men-
Elders
Chiefs D.O CHWs Government
partners
20 5 2 2 1 13 2
DRR participants
list.xlsx
Within the participants, there were members from Environmental Management
Committee (EMC), Community Health Community (CHC), Community Health Workers
(CHW), Community Milk Assistants (CMA),
Training methodology
Powerpoint presentations
Group discussion
Group presentation
Pictorials and diagrams
Goal of the DRM training
This training was meant to increase the ability of WVK Staff & Partners to facilitate
Disaster Risk Reduction process to enable communities effectively participate in and
contribute to their community’s resilience
Objectives of the training
i. To have a common understanding of Disaster Risk Management terminologies,
concepts, principles and practices of DRR
ii. Draw lessons from the CMDRR process and conceptualize the relationship between
disaster and development
iii. To develop understanding of facilitating and sustaining CMDRR in a community
iv. To demonstrate the use of selected tools in facilitating participatory disaster risk
assessment (hazard, vulnerability and capacity assessment) and participatory
planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning
v. To identify action points applicable in our (WVK) working areas
4. vi. To Increased knowledge, skills and attitude on disaster risk reduction,
preparedness and response
In pursuit of the foregoing, this training was designed to address, among others, the
following key issues:
i. Conceptualization skills to enable participants explain, compare and/or interrelate
key terminologies used in DRR/DM
ii. Ability to differentiate between hazard and disaster and elaborate on the
differences of disaster response management (DRM) and disaster risk reduction
(DRR)
iii. Facilitation skills for a CMDRR process and its importance in disaster risk
reduction
iv. Skills for community risk assessment & planning
Expectations
Participants were tasked to share their expectations during the training. These included:
a) Learn D.R.M and go to train
b) Gain knowledge & skills on DRM
c) Learn how to protect from risks
d) Causes of the disaster
e) Gaps between CMC, EMC and CHWs
f) Knowledge hygiene and sanitation
g) How disaster committees will support them
h) Learning how to disseminate knowledge from DRM to the community
Roles of lead mothers
Women groups is one of the project target beneficiaries. Women participation in DRM is
key, for they are the ones tasked with household chores and family issues. Within the
groups are lead mothers whose roles were discussed as below.
1. Leading the group and calling of meetings
2. Disseminating information to members
3. Taking a leading role in resource mobilization within the group
4. Ensuring the group is registered
5. Minutes taker/ records keeping
6. Environment collection and way of living
7. Role model in behavior and attitude change
8. Conflict resolution
5. Disaster management
Definition of disaster and hazard were elaborated using pictorial approach to enable
better understanding and ease of distinguishing between the two.
Hazard
Was defined as something that can cause danger/ an occurrence that cause a disaster
Disaster
An event that has happened and it has caused loss of life, loss of livestock and cannot
depend on themselves but people from outside
Participants were involved in identification of disasters, based on the definition.
Examples of Disasters
1. Drought(Limited Rainfall)
Diseases
Reduced Pasture
Death
Food insecurity
Conflict
2. Floods
The best time to resolve conflict is before it happens
The rain should be beneficial
People should respond to warnings
Others stay to get benefits from Government, NGO’s
3. Diseases
Cholera
Malaria
Diarrhea
4. Structural disaster
- People are greedy of money they build uncomplete structure
- Poor roads
5. Industrial and Urban Fires
Sachagwan- about 140 people died
Nakumatt Moi avenue- not serious in safety management
6. Pipeline Embakasi- leaked pipeline
6. Conflict(Refugees/IDPs)
As result of wars- Dadaab and Kakuma
Post-election violence in Kenya
7. Terrorism
Kikambala terrorism in Uganda
Westgate in Kenya- killed around 67
8. Unplanned Settlements
Kibera, Mathare, Korogocho, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Kisumu ndogo
They stay close to river to get water for cooking, washing, drinking
9. Environmental Degradation
Fetching firewood
KEY NOTES
Our work is reduce these threats to be beneficial to the community
If there is drought there is shortage of water, if people have not died it is
emergency
If animals died there is shortage of food. We start to borrow food from outside
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Terms below were define:
1. Mapping areas of hazards-deforestation, disserted open holes.
2. Risks and vulnerability- A condition or set of conditions that reduces people’s
ability to prepare for, withstand or respond to a hazard
3. Mitigation- activities that we do to prevent our weaknesses from hazards
4. Capacity-Ability that someone has to do something
- Community tools, resources, skills and knowledge that can be mobilized to
respond to and mitigate emergency situations
6. Early warning-The provision of timely and effective information
7. Prevention- To guide yourself against disasters
8. Preparedness-Being ready to deal with hazards
9. Response/relief- The provision of assistance or intervention during or
immediately after a disaster to meet the life preservation
10. Resilience-To return to your normal life after a disaster has happened
7. Participants were tasked to define DRM terms in their own words. Below is what they
came up with:
1. Disaster- Death, poverty, destruction of property, Diseases
2. Early warning- Radios e.g. Rendille FM, children hear from school, Barazas e.g.
DC, D.O, chiefs, ward administrators/Onyo la Mapema
3. Hazard- Danger/Hatari
4. Mitigation- Ways to reduce disaster
- Plan ahead/Punguza
5. Preparedness- Being ready/Matayarisho
6. Prevention- Kuzuia
7. Response- To say yes. You must have a plan/Kuitikia
8. Resilience-To return to normal life/spring
9. Risk-level of loss that we can get/Kiwango cha hasara
10.Vulnerability-weakness/Udhaifu
11.Capacity- Strength/Uwezo
DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE
8. Local solutions are within the community to handle local problems. Participants were
encouraged to understand that NGOs and Government are just stakeholders and only
give some solutions to certain problems. Power of resolving community issues lies with
the community, since that is there environmental and they have been copying up with it
all along.
IDENTIFICATION OF DISASTERS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
Participants were tasked to identify disasters within their context, and below is a table
of what they had to say.
Name of
Disaster/Hazard
When did it happen Who/What was
affected
How did it
affect us?
•EMERGENCY•RECOVERY
•MITIGATION•PREPAREDNESS
Normal
County development
Contingency planning
Capacity (Development)
Infrastructure
Alert Stage
Stockpiling
Rehabilitation
(Boreholes)
Destocking
Animal and Human
Health
Response
Animal health
interventions
(vaccinations)
Emergency water supply
Supplementary foods
Restocking
Dams rehabilitation
Capacity building
Infrastructure
development
Food for work, cash for
work, cash for asset
9. Drought/Famine 1986,1991,1994,1996,
2005/2006
Human, livestock,
wildlife
Loss of life, loss
of livestock
Floods(Lmoguar,
Lodidike)
1997 Livestock, Humans Loss of
livestock, loss of
life,
diseases(Rift
valley fever,
malaria, poverty
Rift valley fever
(Livestock
disease)
1997/1998 Livestock Loss of
livestock, low
production, food
shortage
Cholera 2009 Human (all cohorts) Loss of human
life (29 deaths)
Voting was conducted on the issues identified to determine priority areas. 6 critical
issues were identified that have been predisposing them to vulnerabilities these
included Drought, Flood, Rift valley fever, Cholera, Famine/hunger, and Cultural
Practices. Each of the six issues was written on a separate piece of paper. Each
participant picked 6 small stones that were place on each of the paper written on the
issue at hand. Votes were counted and ranked as shown below.
LAISAMIS Issues Count Rank
1. Drought 44 2
2 .Flood 16 5
3. Rift valley fever 6 6
4 .Cholera 24 4
5. Famine/hunger 29 3
5. Cultural Practices 62 1
10. From the above graph cultural issues are a major problem in Laisamis- this directly
translates to priority areas identified in our DPA process. This are child protection issues
(FGM, Raids, Early marriages and Beading). Famine and hunger closely follows which are
escalated by frequent long spell droughts. Livestock diseases and human diseases are quite
a nuisance.
Mrs. Wangare Nolaso,
a ToT from Beersheba
Mother Support Group,
voting
1
Drought 44
Flood 16
Rift Valley Fever 6
Cholera 24
Famine/Hunger 29
Cultural Practices 62
44
16
6
24
29
62
DISASTERS IN LAISAMIS
Drought
Flood
Rift Valley Fever
Cholera
Famine/Hunger
Cultural Practices
Linear (Drought)
11. GROUP DISCUSSION AND PRESENTATION
DISASTER RISK ASSESSMENT
Four areas were discussed by the groups on disaster risk assessment. The following
areas were handled.
i. Hazard Assessment - Identifies the most likely natural or human-made hazard or
threat to the community, and seeks to understand its nature and behavior.
ii. Vulnerability Assessment - Identifies what elements are at risk because of the
exposure of their location to the hazard.
iii. Capacity Assessment - Identifies the status of people’s coping strategies which
refer to the resources available for preparedness, mitigation and emergency
response, as well as to who has access and control over these resources.
iv. Disaster Risk Analysis – The process of consolidating the findings of hazard,
vulnerability and capacity assessments and draw conclusions and
recommendations for disaster risk reduction.
4 groups were formed of at least 10 people. Each group was given one of the disasters
they had identified to discuss and finally present to the rest.
GROUP 1
CHOLERA
Cause(origin) -Contaminated water and food
-Lack of toilets
Direct Impact -Both children and adults
-In the year 2009 over 200 people affected
and 29 people died
- Recently in 2016 over 60 people were
affected and 2 people died at Koya
- Loss of life
Intensity( High/medium/low) -High in 2009
-Medium in 2016
Warning signs -When it is detected to have cholera
Seasonality(Period of occurance) -Untimely
Frequency( How many times in a year) -Unpredicted
Location(Where) 2009-Laisamis
2016-Koya
12. Speed of Onset( Sudden/low) Sudden
Duration One month-2009
2 weeks-2016
GROUP 2
CULTURAL PRACTICES
Cause(Origin) -No girl should be allowed to be
pregnant
-Young girl have no freedom to defend
themselves
-Elder still insist girls circumcision
practice
Direct Impacts -Mothers and young girls(under 18 years)
-Death of many girls during abortion
-Abortion lead to barren and birth
complication
Intensity(High, medium and low) -Still high
Warning sites -Beading of young girls
-Special gift girl mother during delivery
-Presence of circumcisers at manyatta
-Prayer of elders and women milk gathering
Period of occurrence -During rainy seasons
-After circumcision- beading start
-Abortion happens day or night- away from
home
How many times in a year -4 times in a year-marriage
- Any other month, when there is moonlight
Location(where) -Early marriage-manyatta
-Beading-Manyatta
- Abortion- Away from home
Speed of onset -Beading and marriage at the pace of the
community
-Abortion-a day to a week
13. Duration -Continues
GROUP 3
DROUGHT
Cause(Origin) -Overgrazing
-Deforestation
-Conflict/overgrazing/lack of rainfall
-Charcoal burning
Direct Impact -Male, women, boys and girls
-Livestock
- Brings death of human and livestock
Intensity(High, medium and low) -High
Warning signs -Bird predicting weather e.g. pelican bird
-Drying of wells
-Low pastures
Seasonality(Period of occurance) -Once
Frequency(How many time in a
year)
-Once in a year
Location Marsabit south
Duration 6 months
14. Group discussion during DRM training
Group 4
FAMINE
Causes(Origin) -Prolonged drought
-God-Belief
-Human-Deforestation, overgrazing,
migration
Direct Impacts -Women- Lmetili, lmooli and lkuroro
-Morans-Lmetili and some lmooli
-Elderly-Lkimaniki, lmekuru and some lkishili
-Children-under 5 years
-Humans, livestock and wildlife
-Loss of life, loss of livestock, poverty, food
shortage, inadequate pasture
Intensity(High, medium, low) High
Warning sites -Animals weaken
-Food shortage
15. -Water shortage
-Pasture shortage
-Temperature rises
-Trees dries
Seasonality(Period of occurance) -During April and December when we receive
rains
Frequency(How many times in a year) 8 months
Location Marsabit County
Speed of onset Slowly
Duration -One year 2005-2006
(3-6 months)
FARMER MANAGED NATURAL REGENERATION
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is an effective approach to restoring and
improving agricultural, forested and pasture lands. It is a rapid, low cost and easily
replicated approach. FMNR is based on encouraging the systematic re-growth of
existing trees or self-sown seeds. It can be used wherever there are living tree stumps
with the ability to coppice (re-sprout) or seeds in the soil that can germinate. It’s a
system easily managed by farmers hence Farmer Managed.
Many trees have special ability to sprout after they are cut. Time and space should be
given to the trees to enable them sprout.
Continuous grazing (uncontrolled, overstocking), cutting of firewood and clearing and
burning of land for cultivation leads to deforestation. This is a common trend in the
pastoralist set up. Many of the pastoralists fell trees for construction of livestock bomas
and Manyattas, once the place is exhausted with tree cover they migrate and apply the
same practice to the new place.
16. FMNR STEPS
i. Protect and allow plants and tree stumps to grow on your farm
ii. Check your farm and decide best five stems to prune
iii. Tag selected stems with a coloured rag or paint and protect them
iv. Prune unwanted stems- Use sharp implements such as saw, axe, machete,
harvesting knife
v. Always cut upwards carefully to avoid bruising and stripping of bark
NOTE: Protect trees from livestock and fire
FMNR Contributes directly to:
i. Plenty of firewood and improved welfare of women and children
ii. Fodder for animals and fruits for human consumption
iii. Improved crop yield through soil enrichment
iv. Improved local economy through sale of harvest and non-timber forest products
v. Improve quality of by providing shade and beauty, reducing wind speeds, dust
and high temperatures
vi. Improve water infiltration
Rapid, cost effective and large scale land reclamation and forest regeneration
Bio-diversity with the return of wildlife, rare plant species and natural pest predators
Group work on vulnerability assessment
Vulnerability refers to “a set of prevailing or consequential conditions, which adversely
affect the community’s ability to prevent, mitigate, prepare for or respond to hazard
events. Such include physical, economic, social, behavioral and environmental some of
which were identified by the groups. The 4 groups were maintained and each group
was tasked to perform a vulnerability assessment
17. Group 1: CHOLERA
Asset System
Network System
- Household
- Livestock
- Children
- Education/Health
How are they affected 1.Household-When one(main household
provider dies, therefore all the household
assets are destroyed
2. Livestock- They can be sold during the
payment of hospital bills
-They can be destroyed/killed by wild
animals when the main security provider is
dead or can be taken by others hence loss
of animals
3. Children- When the parents are dead
due to children are weakened due to lack of
parental care/love(Orphans)
- They can also be discriminated from the
community
- They can also die from cholera
Why are they Vulnerable 1. Lack of enough health centers
2. Lack of good infrastructure/Roads
3.Poverty
4. Lack of good communication network
5. Distance from the scene to the health
center
6. Lack of toilets around the villages
Times they are affected -Unpredictable-During the times cholera is
affecting people
18. Group 2: CULTURAL PRACTICES
Hazard Bad cultural practices
Assets Livestock , finance, boys & girls
Systems Education, health facilities, family
Networks Mother to mother support,
excommunication of Morans, un-united
family
Why are they vulnerable Morans are undermined during meals
Elders the custodian of everything
No gender balance
Lack of capacity
Why are thy affected Deny ownership of property
Abortion can kill/cause barrenness
Increase of school dropouts
Retarded growth
When are they affected During school closing, ceremonies.
Beading, pregnancies
Group 3: Drought
Hazard Drought
Which assets, systems, networks are
affected
Livestock, wildlife, food, vegetation and
crops
How are they affected -Animals are weakened hence fetch little
when sold
-Disease crop up
-Migration
Why are they vulnerable -Lack of enough pastures
-Lack of water
-Shortage in a household
When are they affected, times -One year to 2 years
19. Group 4: FAMINE
Hazard Famine
WHICH (assets, system, network
and others are at risk)
Livestock, pasture, wildlife, forests,
education and health
HOW (are they affected (would they
be destroyed by hazard or
weakened or sold or undermined)
Livestock weak/death
Inadequate pasture
Education drop out due to lack of food
Women-a lot of chores, leave some
important chores
Health –people are weak, prone to
diseases/malnutrition
Shortage of food-transportation, people
travel long distances looking for food
WHY are they vulnerable (what are
the characteristics of those people’s
HH assets base or the availability of
assets within the community that
make them vulnerable)
Scarcity of pastures and water for
livestock
High temperatures
Migration –education, health
Shortage of food
WHEN (are they affected times that
these assets get vulnerable)
3-6 months (May-Oct)
Gabriel Lekulate (Community Milk Assistant-Ntumo) conducting a presentation
20. ASSESSMENT
CAPACITY ADDRESSING VULNERABILTY
Capacities refers to individual and collective strength and resources that can be
enhanced, mobilized and accessed, to allow individuals and communities to shape their
future by reducing disaster risk .In their respective groups, participants to identify the
capacities needed to prevent or mitigate the hazard and to reduce or eliminate
vulnerability. This was in line with the disasters they had prioritized. The identified
capacities, will go a long way in helping build the community’s resiliency.
GROUP 1: CHOLERA
Element at Risk Time
Element
Existing Required Gaps
Individual
Survivability
consider Age and
gender
During the
hazard
-Elites
youths
-
Professionals
-Parents
-More elites
youths
-Adequate
trained
personnel
-Illiteracy
-Cultural
influence
-Youths
without
vision
-More
sensitization
-High
standard of
hygiene
-Use of
disinfection
-Lack of
knowledge
-Shortage of
clean water
-
Inaccessibility
to
disinfection
Before the
hazard
-Proper use
of latrines
-Domestic
hygiene
-
Sensitization
Community
Readiness
During the
event
-Partner
other
stakeholders
e.g. World
Vision, FHI
-Civil leaders
-Paramedics
-Good
transport
system
-Well
equipped
health centers
-Community
empowerment
for self-
preservation
-Community
conformity to
wrong
cultures
-Language
barrier
-Convenience
to the health
facility
22. GROUP 2: FAMINE
Element at Risk
Individual
Survivability
Time
Element
During
Existing
-
Livestock
-Crops
Required
Pasture and
water
Gaps
-No
individual
preserve
pasture
-Destocking
-Seeds and
tools
-Water and
fertilizers
-Get idea
about
agricultural
products
Before
-Market
-Livestock
-Land
Community During -Land
-Casual
labour
-Resources
such as
sand and
mineral
-Environmental
management
committees(EMC)
Before -Livestock
markets
-Cash
groups
-Selling of
resources
-Land
-Land
committees
-Irrigation
-Title
deeds
-Capacity
building
Secure Assets and
copying Strategies
-Crops
-Livestock
Copying Strategies -Destocking
-Use of
drought
tolerance
crops
23. GROUP 3: CULTURAL PRACTICES
Element at Risk
Individual
survivability
Time
element
Existing Required Gaps
During -To be a
role model
- To report
harmful
acts to the
police
-Mobilize
through
training on
dangers of
FGM, early
marriages
-Create
awareness
-Report
cases to the
chief
-The father
not involved
- Girls not
empowered
-
Stigmatization
-High level of
illiteracy
Before -The girl is
not
assertive
-The girl is
depressed
and
stressed
-Morans
have pride
-The girl
must be
empowered
-Ensure
guiding and
counselling
e.g. Rescue
-Encourage
to accept
change
-Not aware of
their rights
-Encourage to
attend post-
natal care
-Behaviour
change
During -
Community
living
together
-Council of
elders still
existing
-
Community
policy
-Each family
to remain
cohesive
-Create
awareness
on good
and bad
cultural
practices
and make
good
decision
-Increase
the capacity
of the
-Enhance
family live
together
-Elders still
hold on old
traditions
- It is a new
concept to
the
community
-High level of
literacy
24. community
to use
community
policy
Initiative
Before -Creation
of
awareness
through
chiefs
-Maintain
council of
elders
-Behaviour
change,
education
to morans
-Chiefs,
TOTs,
-Encourage
inclusive
meetings
-To have
role models
for girls
-Encourage
boys and
girls to be
educated
-Lack of
inclusive
meetings
-Girls and
women not
assertive
-Still more
girls and boys
are not in
school
Secure Assets and
copying strategies
-Livestock
-Human
resource
-Schools
-Hospitals
-Good road
network
-Home
-Security-
Police
Copying strategies -Communal
contribution
-Assisting
each other by
donating
-Revolving
loans of live
animals
-Girls who
survive death
from abortion
still continue
with life
-Morans go
raid
25. -Some
involved
income
generating
activities
Cultural practices have over years proved a stumbling block for community
transformation. Pastoralist set is not an exception on this issue. Not only are they
harmful practices, but avenues of conflict breeding.
Gaps and required action
Psychosocial support to women (lose of loved ones) and girls
Positive adaptation mechanisms –knowledge and specialized skills
Practice alternative livelihoods (Climate Smart Agriculture) and protect assets
Gender participation and inclusion in DRM (child-led activity participation through
theatre arts, environmental clubs)
Government policy implementation and formulation-engaging leaders and
administration (through CBOs, Youth, FBOs and Women groups)
Improve culture and safety at individual, HH and community –knowledge and
attitude
What worked well?
There was good attendance of participants,
There was gender balance
Age distribution across the age line, old to young was representative
Facilitator for translation was conversant with DRM, hence a huge boost during
training
Presence of local leaders, the Sub-County administration head an impact on
community perception of the training as being all inclusive
Training methodology and approach began with photographs as opposed to
definitions and terms, due to low literacy levels of most of the women, this
boosted conceptualization of DRM
What didn’t work?
Training session began slightly late
Slow training session as a result of translation
Women were much suppressed in terms of participation due to male presence
26. What need to be done?
Responses from DPA process should be compared with the outcome of DRM to
identify priorities
Equal representation of the government partners/administration to be observed
for sustainable implementation
Need to identify from the government partners the ministry departments to give
us adequate support for DRM implementation
Local staffs (from ADP) to be involved as facilitators and also to support
monitoring later- to avoid ‘external view of sourcing problem solving’
Sitting arrangement to be organized where there is all interaction to avoid,
isolation sitting between leaders and community members.
Report written by:
Victor Kamadi Bill
Project Officer-Food Security
Laisamis ADP-Marsabit Cluster
World Vision Kenya
