September 22, 2023 (MANDERA, Kenya): As part of a two-year project implemented with support from Africa Climate Change Fund and African Development Bank, IGAD has embarked on a ‘ground trothing’ exercise to analyse the gender and power issues and dynamics which influence climate change vulnerability and its intersections with the different social groups.
The main goal of the project is to enhance gender transformative climate resilience through equal access to and security of tenure over land and other natural resources in the IGAD Region, particularly covering Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda.
The Gender and power analysis adopts a community focused, participatory and inclusion approach through intensive mapping and engagement of marginalised communities in the selected Arid and semi -arid Lands (ASALs) Tadjourah in Djibouti, Mandera in Kenya and Karamoja in Uganda.
In Mandera county between September 14 and 21, a number of focus groups meetings were held with separate groups of women, men and youth as well as mixed groups. This approach allowed space for women to air out views, share their experience and advise on possible interventions that meet their needs and expectation. In addition, a total of 180 Households interviews were undertaken.
Interviews were held with a range of stakeholders including Mandera county government officials from the climate change, Disaster preparedness and Management, Women empowerment and Affirmative Action, Mandera Drought Management Authority, land use departments and a range of local civil society organisations.
The Gender and Power analysis in Kenya concluded yesterday with a stakeholder meeting in Nairobi to discuss ways of strengthening collaboration and creating synergies and devising commons strategies to achieving gender transformation for climate resilience. A similar exercise will be undertaken for the remaining project locations in Uganda and Djibouti in the coming weeks.
