Nurturing Dreams: A Students Triumph Boosted by an Individual Giver
August 2, 2024
With Galla Goats, Women in Kilifi Transform their Live
August 3, 2024
Priscilla, who comes from Shomela, Kilifi County is one of the 22 women who are enjoying the benefits of a project dubbed “promoting sustainable livelihood for women in Kilifi County” (PSLW), a partnership between ALARM and KCDF, through the support of Comic Relief. This partnership seeks to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable groups.
For many women in semi-arid interior settlement particularly those in Ganze, a sub county in Kilifi, in the quest to provide for their families, every day is like riding a bicycle with an uncertain wheel because of the high poverty levels.
It is against this backdrop that ALARM partnered with KCDF to facilitate vulnerable women in Kilifi County with a decent sustainable livelihood through mixed farming. The goal of this project was to build capacity for a group of 22 women with animal husbandry, leadership, group dynamics and management skills. Further, provide the women with two does and a buck to begin their journey in generating a little income from selling the animal produce.
Since the project implementation between December 2019 to November 2020, the project has impacted 256 people within 32 households, and it is expected that the number will continue doubling even as the goats start to produce kids, and the first generation beneficiaries continue to pay it forward beyond the project term.
Margaret Fikirini is one of the beneficiaries of the goats. One of her goats has kidded and is looking forward to giving back to the group to benefit another member. “We used to meet as women to fellowship and pray together. Some of the members had been given goats by ALARM in the past years, but we had waited for so long to get the goats since they were few and we were many.
Grace Masika Tembo comes from Kaembeni region and fellowships at Timboni church. “I knew about ALARM from our church by a lady called Margaret. I am a widow with four children, and I can tell you that it is tough being a widow but I thank God since he has been upholding me.”
“I received teachings from ALARM on trauma. I have been dealing with unhealed trauma, but I didn’t know. Now with the teachings I have been helped especially those on forgiveness,” she offers.
These teachings are answered prayers. I have benefitted from the teachings on forgiveness as I didn’t have much understanding of it. I have also benefitted from the teachings on widows as I love to encourage and advise them. May God bless ALARM,” she offers.
While the second quarter was affected by the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent Kenyan government public health regulations on the virus, ALARM managed to end the project in September 2020 having accomplished three days of animal husbandry training, sourcing and provision of an extra 30 dual purpose Galla goats to 10 vulnerable women in Dzikunze as an addition to the project, as a result of procurement process savings.
Three goats were passed forward in Matanno Manne, to three women from the previous group, who initially had received only one goat. To date, 14 off springs have been added to the project.
The beneficiaries have reported economic empowerment, increased self-esteem and dignity, co-operation at family level, psychosocial support and mentorship, improved nutrition, and agri-business. On the flipside, the execution of the project has not been without some few setbacks including death of animals and theft.
Since the inception, the project has experienced success in outcome and impact in terms of decent and sustainable livelihood development among vulnerable households in the semi-arid rural areas of Kilifi county and self-sustainability of the project through ‘pass forward’ of goats in the community.
