For women with disabilities in Tangulbei, Baringo County, the combined effects of climate change, insecurity and social exclusion have made everyday life a constant struggle. Competition over dwindling water and pasture has for years fuelled conflict, forcing families from their homes and disrupting livelihoods, while deeply rooted stigma has often excluded persons with disabilities from community life and decision-making. Today, however, the relative calm brought about by ongoing peace initiatives is creating new opportunities for recovery and renewed hope.
Building on this renewed sense of hope, ActionAid Kenya’s Gender Responsive Alternatives for Climate Change project is supporting communities in Tangulbei to strengthen their resilience to climate-related shocks while promoting peace, sustainable livelihoods and disability inclusion. Through the project, women with disabilities are gaining knowledge, skills and opportunities to improve their livelihoods, participate in local leadership and contribute to building more resilient and inclusive communities. The experiences of Roseline Kambung, Rose Ratili and Jane Kolem illustrate how targeted support is enabling women with disabilities to move from the margins to the centre of climate resilience and community development.
Roseline Kambung understands what it means to rebuild life. Displaced by insecurity, she relocated to Tangulbei, where she now lives independently. Without children and never having been married, she supports herself through tailoring and beadwork while actively participating in a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), where she saves regularly and accesses credit to strengthen her livelihood.
She credits ActionAid Kenya’s empowerment programmes with giving her the confidence, knowledge and opportunities to become financially independent and actively participate in community life.
Roseline first encountered ActionAid during community sensitisation forums that focused on human rights, climate change adaptation and addressing conflicts arising from scarce water and pasture resources. For the first time, she says, persons with disabilities were intentionally invited to participate.
“In a community where people with disabilities have often been segregated, we felt happy to be included. We finally felt like part of the community because our voices started to matter,” she says.
Through the project, Roseline received training on sustainable farming practices that enable households to produce food despite changing climatic conditions. The project also promoted entrepreneurship as an alternative livelihood, equipping participants with business skills that complemented agriculture and diversified household incomes. She also learnt about the rights of persons with disabilities, becoming more confident in participating in community discussions and local decision-making processes.
One of the project’s most significant interventions was supporting the registration of persons with disabilities with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities. Formal recognition enabled Roseline and many others to obtain disability cards, giving them access to government support services, opportunities reserved for persons with disabilities and other social protection programmes.
“The project has brought light,” Roseline says. “We now feel recognised as active members of the community, especially when decisions are being made.”
Roseline’s journey reflects a broader transformation taking place across Tangulbei, where women with disabilities are increasingly participating in community forums, strengthening their livelihoods and taking on leadership roles. Her experience demonstrates that when barriers to participation are removed, women with disabilities become active contributors to community resilience rather than passive recipients of assistance.
Among those experiencing a similar transformation is Rose Ratili, whose life was profoundly shaped by the combined impacts of climate change and insecurity. Forced to relocate from Komolion to Churo, the married mother of six found an opportunity to rebuild her family’s livelihood. Unlike the drier conditions in Komolion, Churo offers more favourable conditions for agriculture, enabling her to transition from livestock keeping to farming. Today, she relies on agriculture as a more sustainable way of providing for her family despite the continuing challenges posed by climate change.
With support from the project, Rose adopted sustainable farming practices and now grows sorghum, sweet potatoes, potatoes, maize and vegetables that feed her family while generating additional income. Her participation in a Village Savings and Loan Association has enabled her to save regularly and access loans that support both her farming activities and household needs.
“Insecurity and drought forced us to leave everything behind, but moving here gave my husband and me a second chance. Today, we are farming, providing for our family and looking to the future with hope.”
Rose’s story demonstrates how agriculture as an alternative livelihood, combined with financial inclusion through savings groups, is enabling women with disabilities to strengthen household resilience while restoring dignity, confidence and self-reliance.
For Jane Kolem from Nanga’rwa, resilience has also meant overcoming barriers created by insecurity and exclusion. She recalls how conflict often placed persons with disabilities at even greater risk. When communities fled attacks, many people with disabilities could not move quickly enough and were frequently left behind.
“When people ran away, we were left at the mercy of God until security personnel came to rescue us,” she recalls.
Accessing water was another daily hardship, requiring Jane to travel long distances to the river despite the physical challenges she faced. Through the project, she received a household water tank, significantly reducing the distance she travelled to collect water, easing her daily workload and improving her family’s wellbeing.
As a mother of three, Jane also carries significant caregiving responsibilities. After her daughter became pregnant while still in school, Jane took responsibility for caring for her grandchild, allowing her daughter to return to school and complete her secondary education.
“Having children as a person with a disability comes with many challenges because people often exclude us from community activities,” she says. “But after the sensitisation sessions, many people have become more receptive and inclusive.”
Jane’s experience illustrates how practical support, combined with community awareness and changing attitudes, can transform the daily lives of women with disabilities while strengthening family and community resilience.
The experiences of Roseline, Rose and Jane reflect the programme’s deliberate commitment to disability inclusion. Beyond strengthening livelihoods, women with disabilities have been trained as Trainers of Trainers on Early Warning Information Systems, enabling them to play active roles in community preparedness and climate resilience. The programme has also supported their registration with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, allowing them to obtain disability cards that provide access to government services, social protection programmes and opportunities reserved for persons with disabilities.
By strengthening the agency of women with disabilities, improving access to resources and creating opportunities for participation in community decision-making, the project is addressing the multiple barriers they continue to face while helping to reduce stigma within their communities. As communities increasingly recognise the abilities, contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities, women with disabilities are no longer viewed merely as right holders of development programmes but as active leaders driving climate resilience, peacebuilding and inclusive development. For Roseline, Rose and Jane, resilience is no longer defined simply by surviving conflict and climate shocks, it is about having the opportunity to participate, lead and help build communities where everyone has a place, every voice is valued and no one is left behind.
Author: Ezra Kiriago, Communications Coordinator ActionAid Kenya.