Money for old nets in northern Kenya
10 November 2008
Clementine Lokor lives in Loreangak village, about 4 kilometres from the shores of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. In 1997 she was widowed and left with nine children to take care of.
Although she managed to borrow money to feed her family and buy essentials
like school uniforms, Clementine was always on the lookout for a more stable
source of income. Odd jobs - such as repairing her neighbours' fences, carrying
fisherman's goods and selling firewood - earned her a bit of money, though
hardly enough to live on. Sometimes a lifeline was thrown in the form of famine
relief food, but the supply of maize, beans and oil was unreliable. It was a
precarious kind of life.
Then she heard of an Oxfam project in the area. "I was told that they were
giving villagers jobs to repair nets. I quickly joined the group at Loreangak
centre," she says.
Cash for Clementine
The
new Cash for Work project, which was funded by DFID, gave torn fishing nets to
local women. At the end of four months,
they were told, they would each be paid Sh10,000 (£80) for the repaired nets.
"We worked hard at Cash for Work for the full four months," Clementine explains. "When
June came, we each had Sh10,000."
"With the money, I bought 10 goats, and school uniforms for my daughters. I also bought better food for the children and cooking utensils for my house."
Clementine feels that Cash for Work has restored some dignity to her life. "Now I feel independent - I don't have to look for a man to take care of me."
"Look!" she says, proudly lifting the new beads on her neck, "I even bought real beads, not the plastic ones I used to have before."
Lydia gets her business off the ground
In an attempt to diversify their livelihoods,
many people involved in Cash for Work decided to put their money into setting up small businesses.
One hundred of these fledgling businesses were
chosen to receive a Business Support grant of 16,000 Ksh (£116) from Oxfam.
Lydia
Leesso was one of those to receive a grant. Pastoralist Lydia lost her
livestock during a drought but was given a second chance through
Cash for Work.
With the money she earned from two projects, she rehabilitated her compound, bought four goats and set up a small shop.
Now, with the
grant further boosting her business, she sees herself as an example to
others in the community.
Lydia talks from experience when she offers advice to others who make their
living from animal husbandry:
"I tell them not to concentrate just on livestock. They have two choices. If they have a lot of children, they should bring at least two to school and let the others guard the livestock. And if they have a lot of livestock, they should sell some and make investments in settled areas, giving them something as a back-up for when drought strikes."
The principle behind Cash for Work is now set to reap more benefits for Kenya's poor, as a major social protection programme, led by DFID and shaped by the project, gets underway. Providing cash transfers to some of the country's most vulnerable households, it will help them to plan their expenditure and build up their assets, offering them a more certain future.
Facts and stats
- The first phase of the Cash for Work project ran from May 2007 to December 2007, during which time DFID contributed £623,000.
- The project has benefited about 6,000 families. A further 5,600 families will benefit during 2008 following the agreement of further DFID funding of £1.4 million.
- The Social Protection programme started in September 2007 and is a 10-year programme with funding of £122.6 million. Phase 1 (2007-11) will see transfers worth £41.2 million help 30,000 orphans and vulnerable children and 300,000 chronically food insecure people. Phase 2 (2011-17) will see £81.4 million go towards expanding programmes.
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