Strengthening human security in the border communities of Turkana II (extended)

Introduction

The most significant impact of ILO’s contribution to strengthening human security in Turkana is making child labour a visible and feasible problem. Child labour is today visible in terms of it being seen as a problem as opposed to a socio-culturally accepted norm. Indeed, it is emerging that Turkana children least desire to be out of school. Life conditions such as extreme poverty, insecurity and distance to school forces children to work from an early age. In some instances though, child labour is as a result of family negligence. There is growing evidence of commitment to address child labour in the county through various approaches such as expanding access to education, school feeding, livelihood interventions and direct support to children already in child labour. The allocation of funds by the County Government to construct a rescue centre for street children is aimed at addressing amongst other issues the child labour problem in the county.

Brief background

Turkana area is located in Kenya facing poverty as a challenge to the highest degree as well as internal conflict at the area between pastoralists. The growing insecurities and conflict overlapping with frequent natural disasters create an environment in which pervasive gaps to protection from critical threats and lack of empowerment to develop resilience to these threats endanger the viability of pastoral livelihoods.

This project addresses the human security concerns of pastoralists living in extreme hardship and who, are also vulnerable to numerous human security threats. This is carried out through a UN inter-agency coordination including UNDP, FAO, WHO, IOM, UNICEF and ILO. The project aims at improving the socio-economic situation of the target population, stabilizing, fragile livelihoods and preventing disasters by building community resilience to frequent climatic, environmental and insecurity shocks and by promotion of inter-communal peace in the region.

Brief background

Turkana area is located in Kenya facing poverty as a challenge to the highest degree as well as internal conflict at the area between pastoralists. The growing insecurities and conflict overlapping with frequent natural disasters create an environment in which pervasive gaps to protection from critical threats and lack of empowerment to develop resilience to these threats endanger the viability of pastoral livelihoods.

This project addresses the human security concerns of pastoralists living in extreme hardship and who, are also vulnerable to numerous human security threats. This is carried out through a UN inter-agency coordination including UNDP, FAO, WHO, IOM, UNICEF and ILO. The project aims at improving the socio-economic situation of the target population, stabilizing, fragile livelihoods and preventing disasters by building community resilience to frequent climatic, environmental and insecurity shocks and by promotion of inter-communal peace in the region.

The project is focused on strengthening the resilience of the dominant livelihoods in the face of natural disasters and other shocks, while providing alternative coping mechanisms through coordinated, sustainable interventions in the livelihoods, food security, education and health sector. Considering the mobile nature of pastoral border communities, the project targets the most vulnerable of the Turkana Central population as well as selected neighbouring cross-border communities by providing opportunities to interact in a peaceful manner through joint training and the establishment of a joint markets and trade opportunities.

Objectives

Increase access to education for preschool- and school-age nomadic children through the implementation of mobile schools and community mobilization, providing of supplies to the government low-cost boarding schools, and improving living conditions of children through mainstreaming child labour concerns in line with project strategies

• To improve pastoral livelihoods and food security among the most vulnerable
• To expand people’s livelihood choices and support livelihood diversification (70% men, 30% women; based on government policies on gender as per the new Kenyan constitution)
• To ensure access to basic healthcare for the communities with special emphasis on the most vulnerable including 80 % of women and 95% of children below five years.
• To promote peace and prevent recurring conflict among targeted communities through the provision of Early Warning information and peace building activities

Main activities/Implementation strategy:

• Raising awareness as well as withdrawal and securing children from different forms of child labour with support of educational and non-educational material (books, pens, school uniform, shoes amongst others)
• Integrating the fight against child labour in development programmes, projects and policies
• Capacity building of local organizations in conducting advocacy against child labour
• Economic empowerment/livelihoods development of families whose children are at a high risk of falling prey to child labour through linkages with other UN livelihoods programmes
• Skills development for older children who cannot return to school through apprenticeship and enrolment in Technical Industrial Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TIVET) institutions to enable them access decent work

Outcomes/Expected Deliverables

• Child Labour interventions strategies mainstreamed
• Child Labour Awareness Created
• Prevention and elimination of child labour through education strategies implemented