�ݺ�ߣ

As recurring drought devastates
their livestock, the pastoral nomads
of northern Kenya are learning new
ways to make a living.
Photographs by David duChemin
Photography © The BOMA Project / David duChemin. All rights reserved. | bomaproject.org
the boma project
Working Solutions
to Climate Change
Malawan Lejalle and her daughter in the nomadic village of Ndikir,
near the family hut and chicken coop.

As prolonged drought destroys the grazing terrain, warriors take the
herds on long trips in search of forage. The women and children are left
behind without cattle, their traditional source of food and income. “My
husband does not know if he will find us alive when he comes home,”
says Malawan Lejalle (photo at left), who leads a three-woman business
group that sells food staples—such as beans, tea and sugar—to residents
in Ndikir. “But the last time he returned, he found his eight children
doing well.” In addition to generating income for food, her business is
using its savings to send 17 local children to secondary school. Above:
Malawan (in green) counts profits with partner Algoya Basele.
Northern Kenya is a remote and neglected region that suffers
from extreme poverty and hunger. Severe droughts now threaten
the main source of food and income—livestock herding—that
has sustained the pastoral nomads here for centuries. Since
January 2009, The BOMA Project has been helping residents to
start small businesses and earn a sustainable income through
the Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP), which offers a seed
capital grant, training in business skills and savings, and two
years of mentoring to groups of three women.

Above: A woman in a traditional cloth, called a kanga, walks through the wind-swept
nomadic village of Ong’eli in the Kaisut Desert.
Warriors like Brilee Rimoti (left) now range farther and farther in
search of forage for their herds. The situation is volatile, as armed
bandits roam the region to steal livestock, and ethnic tribes clash
in violent skirmishes over dwindling natural resources, such as
grazing lands and water.

Drought has made life harder in many ways. Children
walk long distances to collect kindling for the family cooking
fires (above), while many livestock—the nomad’s source of
sustenance for centuries—have died during the driest condi-tions
in decades. Hunger and malnutrition are at critical
levels across the region.
Left: Warrior Long’erua Letorre brings his cattle home to Ndera village.

The traditional nomadic diet relied on cattle milk and blood as
the main source of nutrition. As the warriors travel in search of
grazing terrain, the women are left to themselves, with no money
and no food. Maize flour and cooking oil, often delivered as
famine relief by aid organizations, have become the new staples,
and sweetened tea is considered a meal.
Above: Nayong Lomurut and Ntojoni Ngosoni serve their children sweet tea
for breakfast in front of a family hut.
School was not a priority in traditional nomadic culture, but more
families are now enrolling their children: Primary school is free,
and each child receives a mid-day meal. Students walk as far as 20
kilometers to attend.

Because many schools do not have
a building, teachers often gather
under the shade of trees and use
a single blackboard. In this photo:
Classes at St. Dominique Savior
School in Manyatta Lengina village.

The REAP program targets women. Studies
indicate that economically empowering
women—the “poorest of the poor”—is an
effective way to fight poverty in the develop-ing
world.
Above: Arbe Wario sells traditional water gourds
to visitors and aid workers who frequently travel
through her village of Loiyangalani.
Right: Halhalo Barmin lives in Goob Barmin,
where she and her business partners run a small
food kiosk. Savings from the business allowed her
to loan her brother money, which provided life-saving
medical care for one of his children.

Halima Arbele (above) is a BOMA Village Mentor. Mentors are
respected local residents who have professional experience;
Halima attended secondary school and runs her own small
shop. Mentors work closely with each business to ensure
success. In this photo, Halima meets with a REAP group for
a progress report; she walked 15 kilometers from her home
to the nomadic village of Obregebo, where the women have
opened a kiosk.
Left: BOMA entrepreneurs sell potatoes at the market in Loglogo, one of
the few areas in the semi-arid Laisamis District where it’s possible to raise
crops. The women bring their produce to market every day of the week,
except Sundays.
photography © The BOMA Project / David duChemin. All rights reserved. | bomaproject.org

BOMA mentor John Lesas reviews a record book with a business
group in the village of Ngurunit. John is a highly regarded primary
school teacher and community leader in the village.

Beading is a traditional nomadic
skill; the women in this Laisamis
village business group sell their
products to travelers who pass
through northern Kenya on the
Pan-African Highway. Laisamis
District—an area larger than the
country of Rwanda—has only
two medical clinics and no paved
roads, post offices or banks.

Three BOMA entrepreneurs—Gumato Lomurut,
Ntelengon Lamut and Kehsimo Eisemkelle—
cross the Kaisut Desert on the way from their
nomadic settlement, Nemerai, to the settled
village of Korr. They buy food and supplies
from a wholesaler in Korr, and then sell the
goods in their village kiosk. They used to haul
the supplies home on their backs; now they
can afford to hire mules. Sometimes they also
hire a warrior to protect them from bandits and
wild animals.

110 of BOMA’s 720
micro-enterprises
operate near the village
of Loiyangalani on Lake
Turkana, the world’s
largest desert lake and a
UNESCO World Heritage
site. Many of the busi-ness
groups buy fish
along the shoreline
and resell it—dried or
fresh—for retail prices
at market.
Right: Etelej Erumu and
Nakorodio Esimit stack dried
fish for resale.

The BOMA micro-savings program teaches participants the importance of savings,
helps REAP groups to establish mentored savings and loans associations, and
facilitates access to secure savings instruments, such as lockboxes, mobile-phone
banking, and formal banking (where available). Above: A REAP group in Kamboe
that sells inexpensive mobile phones.

Raphaela Mpiraon Neepe is the only educated woman in
the village of Kamboe; she attended secondary school and
has worked for several NGOs. As a BOMA Village Mentor,
she meets with REAP participants to discuss their
business and review record books and savings.
“BOMA is helping women,” she says.
“The participants are benefiting
through their businesses.”

Each business supports three women
and an average of fifteen children; an
impact survey showed that REAP parti-cipants
use the income to pay for food,
medical care and school supplies for
their families.
Above: Adowto Isandab used income from
her business to buy school supplies for her
son, Schola.
Right: Sabthio Wambile feeds a child by
lantern light.

The BOMA Project works to improve
the lives of the marginalized residents
of northern Kenya through economic
empowerment, education, advocacy
and the training of a new generation
of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders.
802.231.2542
www.bomaproject.org
info@bomaproject.org
Nayong Lomurut with her daughter, Ntimiran.

�ݺ�ߣ

The BOMA Project by David DuChemine

More Related Content

The BOMA Project by David DuChemine