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On the plains of Kenya’s northwestern frontier, a group of nomads march their herds of bony cattle to water. The dry season has begun and the reservoir, constructed by AMREF in 2001, is a vital source of water in this harsh, drought-prone region.
“During the rainy season, we bring our livestock for watering almost every day. When it becomes dry and we must search for pasture, we come here less often because it involves walking very far,” says Lorot Lorimor.
Tall, thin, and armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, Lorimor will spend a week camped near the reservoir with his adakar, a group of 50-100 families that forms the basic social unit of Turkana society. The Turkana are nomadic pastoralists who have for centuries migrated across the region as part of their traditional way of life.
“You can see the men carry guns,” says Peter Ngala, a public health officer who works closely with AMREF here. “This is for protection. Because of the droughts, they must travel long distances to find water and pasture and this brings them into conflict with neighbouring tribes.”
Climate change has made life increasingly difficult for the Turkana. As water becomes scarcer, they struggle with parasitic infections. Kenya’s health care system, already weak, does not reach them because they’re always on the move, travelling from one swath of pastureland to the next. The lack of services, coupled with disease and gun violence, has made them one of the country’s most vulnerable groups.
With input from Ngala and the Ministry of Health, AMREF has developed an innovative programme to bring clean water and health care to the Turkana people. Using maps of the migratory routes, we have begun to establish dispensaries and health clinics along them. Each medical outpost will, upon completion, feature a borehole and/or rain catchments.
“The idea is that the adakars will be able to access health care and clean water as they move. This will help prevent disease and reduce conflict — they will no longer have to cross into enemy territory to water their livestock,” says AMREF programme manager John Kener.
To this end, AMREF is also training community health workers from within the adakars to diagnose and treat common illnesses. They refer serious cases to the hospital in the nearby town of Lokichoggio.
This project is funded by the European Commission and Big Lottery Fund.
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Sub-chief John Losikiriat educates children about hygiene and sanitation Photo: Tyler Stiem/AMREF
Goal 1: Train 00 community health workersGoal 2: Build 00 mobile health centresGoal 3: Improve borehole coverage by 00%
Goal 4: Immunize 00% of children
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