Karel Prinsloo/© Adeso
2014: CHANGING THE STORY
Annual Report
Our Impact
TABLE OF CONTENTS
In 2014, Adeso’s humanitarian and development efforts reached nearly 1.9
million people in Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan.
02
Foreword
03
Where we work
04
Fatima Jibrell Awarded Top Global Environmental Prize
05
The Walking Classrooms of Kenya
07
A Brighter Future for the Young Men of Badhan, Somalia
09
The Rice Farmers of Northeastern Kenya
11
South Sudanese Returnee Finds her Niche in Farming
13
Changing Rangelands in Somalia, One Site at a Time
15
Breaking the Chain of Poverty
17
Our Vision, Mission and Values
19
Financial figures
20
Boards of Directors
22
Donors and partners
22
Ahmed Farah/© Adeso
Our impact
84,218
people were empowered
through unconditional cash
transfers, allowing them to
meet their basic needs.
21,923
people acquired skills for
life and a living wage from our Cash for
Work projects.
36,847
people accessed training, tools
and seeds to increase their land’s
yield and feed their families.
833,417
people gained access to clean
drinking water, hygiene and sanitation
through trainings and building of new
facilities.
15,594
people received livelihood
support grants to sustain
them on their way to self-sufficiency.
404,338
people were mobilized to rehabilitate
their environment and benefited from tree
planting, rangeland management plans
and the building of structures to restore
rangelands.
02
Where we Work
Changing the Story
Sool & Sanaag region , Somalia
We empowered vulnerable members of the community,
including women and youth, to improve their quality of
life.
One community at a time, our efforts this year focused
on helping individuals and families build a better life for
themselves.
When I first joined Adeso in 2003 as Deputy Director, I had
big dreams about what the organization could achieve. Just
over 10 years later, I am immensely proud of the progress
we have made, and of the impact we are having on people’s
lives. In 2014 alone, we reached nearly two million people
across Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan.
Our field teams in each of these countries continued to
work around our four key thematic areas: equipping people
with skills for life and work; helping to reinvigorate local
economies; providing humanitarian aid; and influencing
policy.
In Kenya, our efforts to strengthen social, economic, and
environmental resilience continued unabated, reaching
just over 425,000 people. In addition to providing direct
support to communities, we also helped them leverage
USD 2.5 million from the Government of Kenya and other
development actors. We also launched an ambitious
30-month nomadic education pilot project to enhance
access to education for pastoralist children in the arid
north, with emphasis on girls.
Based on our belief that the health of the natural
environment, and its protection, are integral to a thriving
economy, we continued implementing a large-scale
natural resource management project in Somalia. We
worked with 47 communities – about 175,000 people
– to build low-technology projects that help restore
rangelands, while also exploring opportunities to increase
uptake of alternative energy sources. In addition, we
worked specifically with Somali women – who are rarely
adequately involved in political decision-making – to equip
them with the skills they need to become effective leaders
and have their voices heard.
In South Sudan we provided close to 2,000 farmers with
trainings, tools and seeds to improve the food security
Puntland, Somalia
In 2012, we worked across Puntland with women from
different walks aof life engaged in their own peace and
reconstruction efforts.
and nutritional status of their families, and to increase their
ability to sustain future shocks.
Mudug region, Somalia
In South Central Somalia, we played a leading role in the
largest cash transfer program ever undertaken by NGOs
in response to a humanitarian emergency.
All of these efforts come at a time when the international
humanitarian system is faced with meeting unprecedented
needs. Between 2004 and 2013, the size of the global
humanitarian appeal increased from $3 billion to $16.4
billion, and there were more displaced people by the end
of 2013 than at any point since World War II. At the same
time, the global community is coming together through
the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) to find new ways
of working together to save lives and keep humanitarian
action fit for the future. As an organization from the Global
South, we have been closely involved in the WHS process,
advocating for a greater voice and role for southern actors
in the current humanitarian system.
As we look to the future and take on new challenges, we
believe it is important to share stories of change from our
work in 2014. So instead of overwhelming our supporters
and the broader public with too many statistics and
technical information, this year’s annual report focuses on
the people behind the numbers. We hope that the stories
that follow will provide the reader with a clearer grasp of
the work we are doing, and inspire you to help us increase
our reach in the years to come.
As always, I take this opportunity to emphasize that our
work would not be possible with the support of our staff,
and our generous partners – thank you for helping us
change the story.
South Central Somalia
In South Central Somalia, we played a leading role in
the largest cash transfer program ever undertaken by
NGOs in response to a humanitarian emergency.
Marsabit County, Kenya
We helped young nomadic girls access an education
through non-formal education centres that dot
migratory paths.
Isiolo County, Kenya
We worked with our partner, Sidai Africa Limited, to
improve access to quality animal health care among
pastoralists.
Wajir and Garissa Counties, Kenya
Northern Bahr el Ghazal
We helped 11,328 people to access tools and
seeds to increase their land’s yield and feed
their families
We supported community groups improve their
production and marketing of fodder and milk, leading to
sales of over USD 25,000.
Nairobi Headquarters
By the end on 2014, approximately 40 people worked
in our Nairobi office; providing support to field staff in
Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan.
Turkana County, Kenya
We worked with close to 120,000 people to strengthen
their social, economic, and environmental resilience.
Executive Director, Degan Ali
04
In November 2014, Adeso’s founder and a leading
environmentalist, was awarded the 2014 Champions of
the Earth award for her tireless effort to protect Somalia’s
fragile pastoral environment. Champions of the Earth
is the United Nations’ flagship environment award,
granted in recognition of the critical contributions of
visionaries and leaders in the fields of policy, science,
entrepreneurship and civil society action. In 2014 Fatima
Jibrell was recognized for her outstanding achievements
in the field of Inspiration and Action, at a prestigious
Award Ceremony held in Washington, DC, on November
19th.
Born into a nomadic pastoral family, Fatima’s love for
the environment and her people started at an early age.
Growing up, every year she and her family would move in
search of grazing land. As a young girl she herded goats
and sheep, and slept on top of camels. In 1991, when
the civil war broke out in Somalia, Fatima was living in
Connecticut with her husband and five young daughters,
and quickly became devastated by what was happening
to her land and her people. To enable her to transform
her vision of peace and conservation into reality, Fatima
founded Adeso (then called the Horn of Africa Relief and
Development Organization, and later Horn Relief). After
trying for some time to advocate and raise funds from
within the United States, she eventually made the bold
decision to move her family back to Somalia, at a time
where most people were fleeing the country. Fatima felt
that if things were to change for the better, Somalis like
herself needed to help make a difference on the ground.
From the beginning, Fatima mobilized local and
international resources to protect Somalia’s pastoral
© UNEP
Fatima Jibrell Awarded Top Global
Environmental Prize
environment. The challenges then, as now, were significant.
Pastoralists relied heavily on a healthy environment to
endure Somalia’s unpredictable and harsh climate. Yet the
impact of the civil war jeopardized a traditional way of life.
It was Fatima who saw the connection between peace,
women’s empowerment, resource protection, and the
need to equip communities with skills – an understanding
that continues to drive her work today.
Fatima’s work to build peace, advocate for better
environmental practices, and protect the livelihoods of
Somalia’s pastoralists was recognized in 2002 when she
was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize – the
world’s most prestigious grassroots environmental award.
In 2008, Fatima’s work earned her more international
acclaim when she won the National Geographic/Buffet
Award for Leadership in African Conservation.
Her vision of a peaceful and healthy Somalia continues
to inform the work of Adeso today. While Fatima has
retired from Adeso, she remains an active member of the
organization’s boards. In addition, the legacies of her work
continue to flourish in the institutions she has helped put
in place, and the legislations that she has helped pass. By
working with communities to foster bottom-up change,
Fatima has ensured that she builds capacity for action that
will outlast her work.
Fatima is an excellent example of what it means to be a
woman, an environmentalist, and a lover of peace and
of her country. Her life and achievements are worthy of
celebration and recognition. We take this opportunity to
thank Fatima for all her hard work and dedication.
06
In pursuit of education
Meet Doke Sharamo. On a dusty, deserted, and hot plain
in Kenya stands a white tent under a sprawling acacia tree
serving as a makeshift classroom. Doke and a small group
of girls obediently listen to the teacher. Here there are no
desks, but rather a woven mat that lies on the hot burning
sand.
This is the Mobile Non-Formal Education (MNFE) Center
in Kutura, Marsabit County, a village close to the KenyaEthiopia border and home to approximately 950 pastoralists.
For generations, Kutura residents have depended on cattle,
sheep, and goats to earn a living. Since animals need water
and pasture to thrive, communities have to move in search
of these precious resources, often forcing the children to
drop out of school. The MNFE center in Kutura was born to
address these realities.
Doke, aged 17, has been a regular student since the center
opened its doors in September 2014. Previously a primary
school dropout, she is convinced the project will help her.
Juozas Cernius/© Adeso
“Education will change my life and my community’s life
for the better. I want to go on to secondary school, then
to university and one day become a doctor and help my
people,” she explains. Doke is interested in learning and she
regularly attends classes, despite the fact that she lives in
a Manyatta (settlement) very far from the school. “People
used to think educating girls was a waste of time,” she
added, “but that is changing now.”
Karel Prinslo© Adeso
The Walking Classrooms of Marsabit
schedules, with classes taking place when pupils are free,
including at night. Some girls start their lessons as early
as 6am and tend to the goats during the day while others
catch up with the day’s lessons at night.
To provide even more flexibility, annual school terms
are not based on calendar months like regular schools.
Instead, the calendar is determined by rainfall patterns
with learning taking place mainly during wet seasons
when labor demand on children is low and movement is
minimal.
When the project started, close to 300 young women
and men showed up to enroll: this was an opportunity
of a lifetime for many. In Kutura, 32 pupils attend the
center, with the majority being girls. This is particularly
encouraging considering that in Marsabit County only
14.6 per cent of girls over the age of six have ever attended
school.
In 2014, we embarked on an ambitious 30-month
education project to bring education to pastoralists,
who, until then, had been denied access because of their
nomadic lifestyle. The project builds on experiences and
lessons learned from the Pastoralist Youth Leadership
(PYL) project we implemented in Somalia in the late 1990s
and early 2000s. It also builds on our belief that the best
way to support peace and sustainable development is to
educate young minds.
To ensure there is no conflict between livelihood activities
and education, the center provides flexible learning
08
Meet Omar Ahmed Ali. At the age of 19, he is one of
almost two dozen young men learning how to become
electricians. Omar and his fellow classmates are carving
a future for themselves in a rural community in Somalia
where such opportunities rarely present themselves.
“This is the first time I have ever had a skills training and I
am really enjoying it. I didn’t know how much was involved
in electrical work, or that I even needed to learn anything
from a book,” he says. “I really see a future for myself now,
I didn’t have that before. With this I am learning something
that will benefit my family. I also like the idea of being
able to help my town out. Instead of them hiring outside
contractors, we can be those contractors!”
Mohamud Ahmed Issa, the instructor, owns a small
electrical company in Badhan and is eager to share his
knowledge. “I combine a practical training with classroom
Karel Prinslo© Adeso
A Brighter Future for the Young Men
of Badhan, Somalia
instruction,” he says. “These are young boys who would
otherwise be getting into trouble. With this training, we’re
able to give them a skill they are proud of, and something
that they can bring to their own communities,” he adds.
Mr. Issa has gone above and beyond the call of duty, giving
a few of the students the opportunity to work with him on
specific jobs, while providing them with small incentives.
“I think the hands-on training and the ability to see that
money can be earned from this job really provides them a
realistic view of having a job and earning money the right
way,” he explains.
This particular training is only one example of our work
to equip young men, and women with the skills and tools
they need to live productive and self-sufficient lives. Here,
the young men are also provided with a grant of USD $650
each to start their own business at the end of the training.
10
Meet Adan Hussein Keyna and Aretha Yunis. Not so long
ago, the idea of rice production in Kenya’s arid and semiarid lands, dominated by pastoralist communities, would
have raised more than a few eyebrows. Nestled in a small
village some 90 kilometers from the closest town, a group
of families - all livestock keepers - are challenging those
perceptions.
“This is going to be our first harvest,” says Adan as we make
our way to his lush and green two-acre farm, deep inside
the tough terrains of the arid north. “For me as a pastoralist,
I would say this is the perfect crop. Once I harvest the rice
grain, everything that remains is used as livestock feed.
That’s why even during a dry spell I am not worried about
my goats and cattle,” adds Hussein.
A few meters from Hussein’s plot stands Aretha Yunis, a
40-year-old mother of six. She explains that whenever she
cannot buy maize and sorghum flour, she grinds rice to
make porridge for her infant child. With this harvest, her
child will not go hungry again. A few years ago, Aretha
had 250 cows and goats, but due to successive severe
droughts only 35 remain. As a result Aretha’s family is no
longer nomadic.
Polycarp Otieno© Adeso
The Rice Farmers of Northeastern
Kenya - New horizons
school fees for my children, and food for our home.
Without the weeds and grass I collect from this farm, my
cows would have already died,” she adds. Aretha expects
800 kilograms of rice from her two acres.
Hussein and Aretha are just two of the 45 families that
recently harvested rice from the 20 acre Jarajara rice farm
located on a flood plain on the banks of the permanent
river Tana.
The rice farmers of Jarajara have big dreams. “If this phase
is successful, we are planning to seek support to start a
1,000-acre rice farm in the nearby town to produce high
quality rice with our brand name – J.J rice,” says Adan.
The farmers are proud to be doing what nobody else is
doing, and they hope they can meet the huge demand for
rice among pastoralist communities in their area.
This project reflects our determination and commitment to
building resilience amongst pastoralist communities, who
for generations have depended on livestock as their main
source of livelihoods. In northern Kenya, we are working
with over 90,000 families to decrease vulnerabilities, build
resilience, and stimulate growth.
“I work on this two acre rice farm with my husband, and
our hope is to repay loans that we have, get money for
04
12
Meet Akon Chuei Mudok. In the 1990s, she was one of
thousands forced to migrate to the north of Sudan from
her home in the south, fleeing the civil war which ravaged
the country for more than 20 years. In 2011, Akon returned
home following a referendum that saw South Sudan gain
independence from the north. She now lives with her three
children in Aweil West County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal,
alongside more than 1,000 other returnee households.
Akon, who has no formal qualifications, used to earn a living
through petty trade. Her income was not enough to cover
high food prices, healthcare, or the necessary tools to start
new livelihood activities such as farming. Most returnees
have access to few livelihood opportunities and depend
on firewood collection, charcoal burning, grass cutting
(used for roofing), petty trade and casual labor to provide
an income.
Along with others, Akon received a five-day training in
crop production. “Adeso taught me how to grow crops
and vegetables and how to manage the land. With the
© Adeso
South Sudanese Returnee Finds Her
Niche in Farming
skills I got I started to prune my guava tree and it started
producing new leaves,” she says. Akon plans to use what
she has learned to help others within the community: “I
now plan to train my neighbors and open new land for
farming activities as soon as the season begins.”
Akon aims to continue her petty trade work alongside
agricultural activities. She currently lives in a makeshift
shelter, but plans to improve her housing with the additional
income she will earn. “When I build a permanent house, I
want enough room to construct a vegetable garden to help
diversify the diet for my children and I,” she said. Her sights
are now set firmly on the future.
In South Sudan, we support local communities and
individuals like Akon to diversify their livelihood
opportunities through activities such as agricultural training
and seed and tool distribution. In 2014, 11,328 people
accessed tools and seeds in South Sudan to increase their
land’s yield and feed their families.
14
Meet Dahir Esse Warsame, a 51-year-old pastoralist living
in Puntland, Northern Somalia. Over more than 30 years
Dahir has witnessed the degradation of his surrounding
environment. The valley that once served as a prosperous
grazing land is now a desert, negatively affecting pastoralist
livelihoods. Over that period, Dahir himself lost most of his
livestock, and was until recently struggling to feed his wife
and six children.
that income, he is now able to purchase more food and
water, and pay for his children’s school fees.
‘’This valley was a place where pastoral nomads gathered to
bring their livestock. It was full of pasture and vegetation, but
due to the poor rains, prolonged drought and overgrazing,
the valley has changed. It is now a desert and full of gullies,”
he explains.
As the rangeland is slowly changing, Dahir and others are
able to feed their livestock, earn a living, and in turn feed
their families. They are also learning how to care for their
environment for years to come, with or without external
support.
Over the past two years, we have been working with Dahir
and other community members to help restore the natural
environment. Heavy machinery and labor-intensive Cash
for Work activities are used to construct stone diversion
structures, also known as rock dams. These help to
divert, spread and detain water to restore pasture lands.
Community members, who are mostly pastoralists like
Dahir, have been enlisted in the Cash for Work activities.
For the past two years, our teams in Somalia have been
working across more than 100 sites in Puntland, in the
country’s northeast. The aim is to reduce hunger and food
insecurity by promoting sustainable use of the region’s
natural resources, including through the reduction of
gully erosion and surface run-off, which can cause poor
pasture in grazing areas, especially for families dependent
on livestock.
Ahmed Farah© Adeso
Idil Ahmed © Adeso
Changing Rangelands in Somalia, One
Site at a Time
Dahir explained to us that with the beginning of long rains,
the community is already starting to witness changes to
the environment, “I have never seen water going into this
valley. The water is reaching areas that haven’t received
water in over 30 years!”
“Not only are we benefitting from the work by restoring the
land, but we are also receiving an income,” says Dahir. With
16
16
How a Little Cash Can Go a Long Way
Meet Hodan Dahir Ahmed Muhamed. At the age of
26, she recently opened a small kiosk in Dhobley, South
Central Somalia, where she sells grocery items such as
sugar, milk, laundry detergent, soup, tea leaves, pasta,
painkillers, and vegetables. Hodan is now able to feed
her family with the average daily profit of about eighty
thousand Somali shillings (USD $3.30) she earns from her
kiosk.
But not so long ago, Hodan was barely able to make
ends meet as a widowed mother of six. Like many others,
Hodan and her family were badly hit by the ongoing
conflict in the region, in which she lost her husband. To
make matters worse, the last devastating drought cost the
family all of their animals, which they relied upon for their
sole source of income.
When Hodan received her first monthly unconditional
cash transfer from Adeso, she decided that she would put
the money to good use.
“Such assistance is a once in a life time opportunity.
Given my livelihood situation, I decided to come up with
a strategy to break this chain of poverty for my family. I
decided to save some money from the first two payments
to start this small business and generate some steady
revenue for the future,” explains Hodan.
In total, Hodan received six monthly cash payments. Now
that they payments have stopped, her business will allow
her to still earn an income.
©Adeso
Abdurahman Derie© Adeso
Idil Ahmed © Adeso
Breaking The Chain of Poverty
money could not assist me in establishing a bigger
business like a food wholesale shop, so I had to look for
a product that is lacking in my community and can move
fast in our market.”
“Now I am able to feed my children with dignity and think
of their future. The intervention was an opportunity that
empowered me to become self-reliant,” said added. As
she looks to the future, Hodan plans on expanding her
small income generation activity with the profits she is
making.
In 2003, we pioneered the use of large-scale cash transfers
to respond to drought in Somalia. Since then, we have
promoted the use of this tool as a means to empower
vulnerable communities to set their own priorities
when addressing their immediate needs. In 2014, we
trained close to 100 people across Africa on cash-based
responses, promoting cash as a tool for humanitarian
response
“We lost everything that we had, we lost our only means
of livelihood, and we slept with empty stomachs, more
trouble started to creep in from every corner when we
lost our animals to the drought. Hope and optimism were
renewed when I started receiving USD 125 a month for
six consecutive months. I started to restock my animals
and I now have 15 goats. The intervention was timely and
restored our dignity as a family. We are now empowered
and economically independent. Now we do not need to
rely on others for a living.”
When asked why she decided to open this small kiosk
rather than another business, Hodan explained, “The
18
©Adeso
Our Vision, Mission and Values
We exist for
African communities who are yet to realize their full potential
Our Vision
An Africa that is not dependent on aid, but on the resourcefulness and
capabilities of its people
Our Mission
We work at the roots of African communities to create
environments in which they can thrive
Our Values
Efficiency we do exactly what’s needed, where it’s needed
Humility we understand that we don’t have all the answers and that listening is sometimes better than talking
Collaboration we work with communities to co-create solutions
Interconnection we recognize that our work is only as effective as the relationships we build
Conviction
we do and say what’s needed, not what’s expected
20
Michael Zwirn/© Michael Zwirn
Janet Adongo © Adeso
Board of Directors
Abdia Mohamed, Adeso USA (Chair)
Degan Ali, Adeso Kenya (Chair), USA, and UK
Fatima Jibrell, Adeso Kenya, USA, and UK
Faiza Abdalla, Adeso Kenya
Fanta Toure, Adeso USA
Fowsiya Warsame, Adeso USA (Treasurer)
Professor Kassim O. Farah, Adeso Kenya
Leslie Fields, Esq., Secretary, Adeso USA
Mohamood Abdi Noor, PhD, Adeso Kenya,
USA, and UK
Sandra Brock Jibrell, Adeso USA
Friederike Brandt – Board member UK
Mohamed Said- Board member UK
Donors and Partners
Our work would not be possible without the support of private foundations, government
agencies, and individual donors around the world.
On behalf of the communities of Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan, we say, “Asante Sana.
Mahadsanid. Yin aca leec. Gɔaaɛ. Ci̲ lɔcdä̲ tɛɛth. Shukran. Thank you.”
Donors
Boeing Company
European Union
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Muslim Charity
Swiss Development Corporation (SDC)
USAID-Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance
USAID-Food for Peace
USAID Kenya and Feed the Future
Partners
ACTED
Agency for Pastoralists Development (APAD)
Carbon Zero Kenya (CZK)
Community Initiatives Facilitation (CIFA)
Community owned Financial Institution (COFI SACCO)
Finn Church Aid (FCA)
Oxfam America
Pastoralist Community Initiative and Development Assistance (PACIDA)
Sidai Africa Ltd.
Turkana Pastoralists Development Organization (TUPADO)
Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (VSF SUISSE)
21
20
19
Adeso is a registered non-profit organization in Kenya, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the USA (EIN 270129401), and a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1131711). Adeso USA and Adeso UK provide Adeso’s programs
in Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan with support in fundraising, advocacy, communications, government affairs, and more.
All contributions to Adeso USA are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law in the United States, and contributions to
Adeso UK in England and Wales are eligible for the UK Gift Aid Scheme, which can increase the value of your donation by
up to 25% at no additional cost to the donor.
Thank you to all the donors, partners, supporters, and communities we have had the pleasure to work with in 2014.
Without your support and commitment, our work would not be possible
Want more information?
Check out our website
adesoafrica.org
Adesoafrica
@Adesoafrica
Adeso HQ - Kenya
Adeso USA
Adeso UK
P.O. Box 70331-00400
Nairobi
C: +(254) 710 607 378
T: +(254) 20 800 9268
[email protected]
1250 24th Street NW, Suite 300
Washington DC 20037
C: +(1) 202 510 4137
T: +(1) 202 467 8348
[email protected]
CAN Mezzanine 49-51 East Road
London N1 6AH
C: +(44) 7745 034395
T: +(44) 2072 50826
[email protected]
HOW TO HELP
To support Adeso’s work globally, donate online at adesoafrica.org