Emergencies

Communities in Kenya particularly those in arid and semi-arid areas are susceptible and continue to experience climate-related impacts particularly prolonged droughts and floods amongst other hazards adversely impacting food and nutrition security. These hazards have led to the loss of livelihoods and productive assets, increased violence against women and girls, malnutrition and migration of pastoralists resulting in conflicts over natural resources particularly water and pasture.

ActionAid responds to the humanitarian needs of affected communities in line with our unique humanitarian signature of women’s leadership, shifting power and accountability to affected communities. We employ both short and long-term interventions geared towards addressing immediate needs and protection of rights, especially of girls and women, while building the resilience of affected communities. In the short term, AAK promotes rights-based, qualitative, timely and accountable humanitarian interventions to communities in times of disaster in compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standards.

We do this by strengthening the capacity of women and youth living in poverty and exclusion, their institutions and solidarity groups to hold both levels of government to account in the delivery of an effective, timely and appropriate emergency response together promoting transformative changes linking to sustainable development.

On long term we work to build communities’ resilience by strengthening their lives and livelihoods through Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation initiatives; advocate for programmes that prioritize sustainable development; natural resource management; protection; peacebuilding and conflict transformation. We have facilitated development and advocacy for adoption of women led drought preparedness plans at the county level, ensuring they are mainstreamed into the county integrated development plans. We strengthen communities living in poverty and exclusion and county governments’ capacity to develop and implement climate change adaptation and disaster management laws, policies, strategies and action plans