Implementation Of The Community Land Act
The Community Land Act (2013) is a landmark legislation that gives communities the right to own and control their lands but implementation has been slow.
read moreIt is essential to secure pastoralist land rights in order to strengthen climate change resilience and adaptation. By ensuring that community based natural resource management is improved, social movements and coalitions can be built to better adapt to climate change.
Pastoralists are some of the most vulnerable people to climate change. Their livelihoods and way of life are closely linked to the natural environment and they are often the first to feel the effects of climate change.
In many countries around the world, pastoralists are among the most marginalized and vulnerable people. They often have little to no land rights, little to no political power, and are exposed to extreme weather conditions and other climate-related risks.
The Community Land Act (2013) is a landmark legislation that gives communities the right to own and control their lands but implementation has been slow.
read moreClimate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and its impact is felt particularly hard by indigenous peoples. To help address this issue, we must support and build the capacity of indigenous peoples and their organizations to raise awareness and take action on climate change.
read moreConflicts have continued to weaken community capacity for resilience, especially among indigenous people. To strengthen and promote structured intra- and inter-community dialogue across the four targeted counties, a strategy of minimizing conflicts has been developed—and is now being implemented as part of this project’s activities.
read moreThe geographical focus of PARAN is Marsabit, Isiolo, Laikipia and Samburu (MILS). In future, we plan to expand to other pastoralists Counties in northern Kenya. In some strategic activities, indigenous organizations and influencers from other counties can be brought in to share their experiences. The learnings, advocacy and communication tools developed will be shared beyond the current areas of influence.
With the potential members who have expressed interest in joining Paran Alliance the geographic scope is widen further to cover Laikipia, Samburu, Isiolo, Baringo, Turkana, Marsabit, Kajiado, West Pokot counties and by extension northern Tanzania and Southern Ethiopia because of cross border engagement with Southern Ethiopia Oromia Pastoralists and northern Tanzania Maasai and parts of Northern Uganda Karamoja.
From droughts and floods, to insecurity and evictions, pastoralists have had to constantly adapt to the changing conditions in order to survive.
The Pastoralist Alliance for Resilience and Adaptation in Northern Rangelands (PARAN) is a coalition of pastoralist groups from across the region who are working to improve natural resource management and build social movements
Pastoralist communities have long been among the most marginalised and excluded groups in Kenya. They have been denied basic rights and services, and their livelihoods and way of life are constantly under threat.
PARAN has brought together a broad range of stakeholders including pastoralists, government representatives, and development organizations to work together towards common goals.
PARAN was established in response to the needs of northern Kenyan pastoralists. The region has experienced persistent drought and conflict, which has led to widespread poverty and insecurity. PARAN’s goal is to help pastoralists overcome these challenges by improving their access to basic services, strengthening their institutions, and promoting peace and stability. To achieve these objectives, PARAN is working with government partners, civil society organizations, and the private sector. Through these partnerships, PARAN is supporting the delivery of essential services, such as healthcare and education, to pastoralist communities. In addition, PARAN is helping to build the capacity of local institutions so that they can better serve the needs of pastoralists. Finally, PARAN is working to promote peace and stability in the region by supporting mediation efforts and fostering dialogue between communities. By working together with its partners, PARAN is making a positive difference in the lives of pastoralists in northern Kenya.
PARAN has implemented a number of successful projects in northern Kenya, working with local pastoralist communities to improve their livelihoods and protect their way of life. One project involved the establishment of community milk banks, which helped to improve milk production and nutrition among herdsmen and their families. PARAN has also worked with local community groups to revive traditional methods of water harvesting, which has helped to improve water security in the region. In addition, PARAN has established a mobile veterinary clinic, which provides essential health care for livestock. The clinic has helped to reduce the mortality rate among livestock and improve the overall health of herds. These are just a few of the successes achieved by PARAN so far. With continued support, PARAN will continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of pastoralist communities in northern Kenya.
PARAN is a coalition of pastoralist organizations working to build resilience and adapt to the changing conditions in the northern rangelands of Kenya. The alliance was formed in response to the increasing frequency and severity of droughts in the region, which have had devastating impacts on pastoralist communities. Lack of funding is one of the biggest challenges faced by PARAN. The majority of pastoralists are extremely poor, and they lack the resources to invest in drought-resistant livestock, water storage, and other resilience-building measures. NGOs like ours are working to support PARAN by providing financial assistance and technical support. We are also raising awareness about the importance of climate change adaptation among donors and policy-makers. Despite the challenges, we remain hopeful that PARAN will be able to make progress in building resilience against climate change.
Building an architecture that facilitates and unlocks community potential- Strategies for Movement building. PARAN will facilitate a number of inter linked strategies:
Organised Gathering: of communities/practitioners in person to discuss, learn, foster space, share experiences and relationship building.
Learning circles: In person meeting between like-minded practitioners to develop harmonised strategies and visioning based on lessons learned
Capacity strengthening: The Alliance will mentor, support and assist member organisation to develop or strengthen their international systems, planning and capacity to deeply engage with the issues being faced by the organisation internally and externally. Organisational and institutional development are important if the organisation have to be effective in delivering their commitments with the communities. The skillsets that the founding organisations have are unmatched if combined.
Community Inter-Generational Leadership camps: PARAN will organise leadership development camps elders (custodians of the customary institutions) and the youth for member organisations, communities, grassroots community and traditional institutions so that communities are able to adapt and mediate between the modern and traditional world.
Cultural concerts: cultural events are spaces being used by indigenous communities to advance their identities and heritage. This will be jointly organised to build relations but also promote a living culture uniquely intertwined with landscapes.
Community Based Natural Resource Governance: Strengthening and supporting recognition of ITK in natural resource governance and traditional institutions that have used to govern these resources for years. This experience can be used to support the work of Water Resource User Associations, Community Forest Associations, Rangelands Associations and Women and Youth Associations.
Campaign and advocacy: The organisation will plan joint campaign and advocate common issues as a way of building a strong voice and elevate the profiles of issues of concern to the national and international levels. Developing culturally sensitive and appropriate advocacy tools that can assist in articulating the voices of the communities.
Building a Gender Responsive Culture: It is appreciated that most pastoralists communities are patriarchal. It is also recognised that the roles of women, youth and men are defined but does are not adequate to respond to present day challenges and emergence of new governance and leadership processes that require full participation of each and every member of the community. PARAN will support its members in training and developing internal gender capacities.
Resources: PARAN will mobilise resources to support its members and expand its sub granting facility. The sub granting facility now stands at USD 170,000 and this will be expanded to USD 500,000 in 2020.