IOM has completed five-day training for 180 pastoralists from six
locations in Dadaab district in northern Kenya on how to protect
their livestock and improve their livelihoods during periods of
drought.

The training involved animal husbandry and feeding during the
dry season, pasture re-seeding during the wet season, and
de-stocking during drought alarm and emergency stages. Pastoralists
who attended the course are expected to pass on their knowledge to
others.

Raising cattle is the main occupation of the people of northern
and northeastern Kenya, who are hosting thousands of Somalis
fleeing drought and war in Somalia. The area is home to some of the
world’s largest refugee camps housing some 453,000
Somalis.

During the dry season, thousands of livestock perish every year
due to lack of pasture and the spread of animal diseases, and
Dadaab pastoralists are currently on alert following a short wet
season in April and May 2012.

Pastoralist communities are particularly affected by drought as
they face the imminent threat of losing their livelihoods as their
weakened herds struggle to survive disease, hunger and thirst in an
increasingly desperate search for pasture and water.

The influx of the Somalis has exacerbated the difficult
livelihood conditions and often spikes tensions between the
refugees and host communities over sharing scarce resources.

Helping to improve the adaptability of livestock to drought is
designed to reduce livelihood hardships for the hosting community
and foster better communal relations.

IOM is also carrying out a five-day livestock vaccination of 15,
587 animals belonging to Dadaab refugees and the host community to
help boost their resilience to drought conditions.

The animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, camels and donkeys
are being de-wormed and are also receiving treatment against
various parasites common in the area and pneumonia.

IOM organized the training, which is funded by Japan, following
a request from the Kenyan Ministry of Livestock and
Development.

In 2011 IOM spent USD 400,000 provided by the UN Central
Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide livelihood assistance and
training to some 40,000 vulnerable pastoralists in the region, 60
per cent of them women.    

The funds were used in a six-month emergency programme that
involved re-stocking households with camels, which are more
resistant to drought and disease, as well as providing training in
various agricultural activities.   

For more information please contact

Lillian Matama

IOM Kenya

Tel: +254 713601043

Email: "mailto:lmatama@iom.int">lmatama@iom.int