Boresha Mazingira ('Improve the Environment')

The project builds strong, community-led structures that enable local people to take ownership of climate resilience and sustainable development long after the project ends. Participants are organised into self-help groups, alongside strengthened cooperatives and community committees, including Water User Committees, Tree Nursery Committees and Disaster Risk Reduction Committees. These groups provide a platform for communities to share knowledge, identify local priorities and work together to address the challenges they face.

Training is provided in leadership, governance, financial management and advocacy, equipping group leaders with the skills to manage organisations effectively and represent their communities. The project also strengthens Pokot farmer cooperatives, improving coordination between farmers and creating greater opportunities for collaboration. Community forums bring together local groups, government representatives and other development actors to influence local policy and advocate for climate action. Women and young people are actively encouraged to participate in these structures and take on leadership positions.

Families receive practical training and ongoing support to adopt climate-smart farming practices that increase productivity while protecting the natural resources on which their livelihoods depend. Training covers sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, soil and water conservation, agroforestry, integrated pest management and improved livestock management, enabling farmers to produce more food while adapting to increasingly unpredictable weather. The project provides drought-tolerant seeds, tree seedlings and improved livestock to help families put new knowledge into practice immediately.

Farmers learn techniques such as rainwater harvesting, composting organic waste into natural fertiliser, planting trees alongside crops, restoring degraded land and introducing fuel-efficient stoves that reduce reliance on firewood and help prevent deforestation. Improved water management protects rivers, wetlands and surrounding ecosystems while increasing the availability of water for both agriculture and household use.

The project takes an integrated approach to improving family health by combining increased food production with better nutrition knowledge, healthcare and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices. Families are trained in nutrition, healthy food preparation, primary healthcare, hygiene, sanitation and safe water management through self-help groups, community demonstrations and health awareness events.

Community Health Volunteers also promote disease prevention, maternal and child health, HIV awareness and family wellbeing, while strengthening links between communities and local health services. Improved access to water for both household use and agriculture reduces the burden of water collection while supporting healthier living conditions and more productive farms.

The project helps families build more secure and diverse livelihoods by increasing agricultural productivity and creating new income-generating opportunities. Farmers receive training in business planning, financial literacy and enterprise development, helping them view their farms as profitable businesses rather than solely a means of subsistence.

Self-help groups are supported to establish Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), providing members with access to savings and affordable loans that can be invested in farming, small businesses or household needs. Training in income generation encourages families to diversify into higher-value crops, vegetables, fruit production and improved livestock enterprises, while livestock breeding programmes improve the quality and productivity of animals. 

By working collectively through self-help groups and cooperatives, farmers strengthen their bargaining power, access markets more effectively and participate in agricultural value chains, increasing household incomes and creating employment opportunities within their communities.

The project addresses the root causes of inequality by challenging harmful social norms, increasing access to resources and creating opportunities for women and marginalised groups to take on leadership roles within self-help groups, community organisations and local decision-making forums.

Using Ripple Effect's Transformative Household Methodology (THM), families are supported to examine household roles, responsibilities and control over resources through facilitated discussions that encourage more equitable sharing of workloads and joint decision-making.

By reducing the disproportionate burden placed on women for childcare, food production, water collection and domestic work, the project helps free up time for women to participate in agriculture, enterprise development and community leadership.