EBENEZER A NEEDS ASSESSMENT

8/7/2019 EBENEZER A NEEDS ASSESSMENT

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Camp CompositionTotal Households 81Total Plots 67 Women 76Men 60 Children 259

Elderly 19 Total Population 395

NEEDS ASSESSMENTEbenezer A Camp, an IDP Community

“Striding to Restoration”Kikopey, Kenya

February – March, 2010

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration on Human RightsEveryone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, household and medical care and necessary socialservices and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood,old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Camp LeadershipSamuel Muhia Kihuga - Chairman - +254 (0) 723630298John Mwangi Kimani - Secretary - +254 (0) 71260090Elizabeth Nyokabi Chege - Treasurer - +254 (0) 727611011

Report Summary

This assessment of needs of the Ebenezer A Camp outlines the most pressing challengesfaced by the community members, ranks those challenges in terms of priority, and offerssuggestions for solutions to meet the challenges described. The input for this assessmentwas contributed by the Community Leaders as well as over 120 of the approximately 150adult community members, age 20 and over.

Summary and Priority of Needs1. Water Security2. Employment3. Permanent Shelter4. Food Security

5.

Access to Education6. Access to Health Services7. Provision of Counseling Services

Description of Needs

1. WATER SECURITYThe most pressing need of the community is access to nearby water sources in the shortterm and water security for the long term. Water is vital to meet daily household needsof personal consumption, personal hygiene, cooking, animal husbandry, and irrigationof kitchen gardens, while future goals include larger scale crop cultivation and animalrearing projects for income generation.

Background Information:When the Ebenezer A Camp was established in early 2009 on the outskirts of Kikopeytown, water was not available in the area, neither for the camp or town residents. Nolocal natural sources exist in the area in the form of rivers or fresh water lakes. The townpopulation, newly arrived Ebenezer A Camp members, and surrounding communitiestherefore accessed water 7 KM away, transporting the water back to their homes byhand or by bike.



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During 2009, Kikopey Water and Sanitation Services Provider was established andinitiated “Phase I” of a large scale project to bring water to the Kikopey town andsurrounding communities, including Ebenezer A Camp. “Phase I” connects a line fromthe main Gilgil-Nakuru water pipe to Kikopey town, but runs short of reaching theEbenezer A Camp. While town residents receive water, camp members are still requiredto collect water from their town neighbors 1 KM away.

“Phase II” of the initial project intends to provide water to the Ebenezer A Camp andoutlying residents, but has not been initiated due to absence of funding. In addition tolack of funding for “Phase II” Kikopey Water and Sanitation Services Provider is facedwith the challenge of having limited support and funding to properly maintain Phase Iand its other projects.

Current Status:In March 2010, an interim solution to meet the water needs of the Ebenezer A Camp wasestablished through the support and funding of a visiting international volunteer. Thisinterim solution runs a line from the main Kikopey water line to a kiosk situated onEbenezer A Camp community property. The interim solution is intended to serve the

Ebenezer A Camp and surrounding residents until “Phase II” of a greater water schemecan be installed.

As of March 18, 2010, the interim solution has been installed but was not functioningdue to weakness and breakage of the “Phase I” pipes near the connection to the mainGilgil-Nakuru pipeline. Before the interim solution can function properly and serve thecommunity, the damages to the “Phase I” line must be repaired.

A proposal for the maintenance and repair of “Phase I” is available through the KikopeyWater and Sanitation Services Provider.

A technical survey and bills of quantities for “Phase II” is also available through theKikopey Water and Sanitation Services Provider.

Suggested solutions for attaining Water Security:− Funding for “Phase I” repairs. Challenge: urgent need, lack of funding− Funding of “Phase II” water infrastructure. Challenge: large-scale funding

needed− Borehole, preferably with a wind-powered pump. Challenge: water table at 200

m, costs of drilling, costs of operation and maintenance− Rain water catchment systems. Challenge: currently only 2 solid roofs exist in the

camp, on the schoolhouse and the community chicken coop, both of which arealready equipped with catchment systems

2. EMPLOYMENTLack of employment and income creates a barrier to meeting personal and householdbasic needs of food and water; sets limitations on child education due to tuition,materials, and uniform costs; inhibits access to health services and care; restrictspurchase of household items and clothing; constrains travel for personal or required



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reasons; and perpetuates the psychological trauma of lost livelihoods caused bydisplacement.

Background Information:Due to overpopulation in relation to lack of regional industry, employmentopportunities are scarce in the surrounding Kikopey and Gilgil areas. Casual laboropportunities are infrequent and provide insufficient income when available. The

majority of community members formerly worked as farmers in their previous local, butthe arid climate of their relocation is not conducive for professional farming withoutsubstantial irrigation practices.

Lack of savings and capital lost during the displacement hinders initiation ofsupplemental income-generating activities, such as small-scale farming, animalhusbandry, or craft production.

Many households are led by one adult – single parent households related to death,injury, or disappearance as a result of the crisis, or grandparent led households.Households struggle to seek outside employment in addition to providing childcare andconstant household upkeep of their tent shelter.

Current Initiatives:Two small-scale community income generating projects – a greenhouse for cultivatingtomatoes and a poultry coop for egg-laying chickens – were donated by independentinternational donors. These projects employ 20 community members combined. Profitsfrom the projects are intended to compensate the project workers but the majority of theprofits are designated for a Community Savings Fund. These projects initiated at the endof 2009, have to date not yielded any product or profit.

A few independent Self-Help Groups (SHGs) based around income-generating activitiesexisted in the community prior to 2010 but suffered setbacks due to their members’

inability in grow the projects with capital investment. As of April 2010, these few groupsalong with numerous newly organized SHGs, 18 groups in total, were provided smallgrants to initiate or expand their efforts. Financial support for these groups wasprovided through the fundraising efforts of an international volunteer also responsiblefor the interim water solution. The SHGs funded in this initiative include indigenouschicken, milking goat, and rabbit rearing; a small-scale farming cooperatives; artisan andcraft groups; and micro-enterprise initiatives. The grants provide for the needed startupor expansion material costs. In addition to stimulating the SHGs, funding allowed theestablishment of a kiosk on the camp common grounds for the SHGs to sell theirproducts and services.

The majority of Ebenezer A Camp members were skilled works before the crisis. Groups

of laborers are joined together to offer their services to the surrounding community. Aninitiative is underway where groups will advertise their services through communityoutreach and by erecting a signboard along the nearby Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

All the current initiatives listed here are small-scale and, although sustainable solutionsin and of themselves, are not sufficient to meet the extent of need for more permanentemployment or self-employment.



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Additional Initiatives:One Kikopey resident owns various acres he intends to develop into irrigated organicfarming and organic greenhouses. He agrees to prioritize employment of IDPs once thefarm but currently lacks funds needed to develop the land. The landowner and CampLeadership are currently seeking a lender to support the initial develop of the organicfarm and offer employment to the IDPs.

The lodge-owners association of Lake Elementita (5 KM from the Ebenezer A Camp) is apotential market for services and products offered by the Ebenezer A Camp members.The Community Officials are currently corresponding with the association for furthercollaboration. Some of the potential ideas for collaboration include lake clean-up projectsstaffed by IDPs and the sale of goods to lodge owners and guests.

Suggested Solutions for addressing Employment needs:− Additional funding for expansion of current and future SHGs− Assistance in the development of industry in surrounding area

3. PERMANENT SHELTER

Ebenezer A Camp members continue to live in the tents provided to them immediatelyfollowing the crisis in early 2008. Members are unable to purchase the supplies neededto construct permanent or semi-permanent housing.

Background Information:The tents are torn and leak when it rains, flooding the floor and soaking personalpossessions including clothing, bedding, and spoiling food. Closures for windows anddoors are broken, while the canvas and tarp materials are damaged and weakened bythe extreme climate. The tents are hot under the intense sun and lack ventilation forcomfort during the daytime. At night the tents are drafty and cold. Holes in theenclosures allow malaria-bearing mosquitoes and other pests to enter. The state of the

tents leads to preventable sicknesses in adults and children alike, including colds,upper-respiratory agitation, malaria, and skin infections. These tents are intended for 6months of use, but are still in use after 2 years.

Current Initiatives:Beginning in May 2010, the Camp Officials, supported by the previous internationalvolunteer assisting in the water and employment projects, will begin to aggressivelypursue funding for permanent shelter for all 81 households of the Ebenezer A Camp.

No funding is available at this time and support is requested.

Suggested solutions for Shelter and *stipulations:

− Funding by governmental, non-governmental, or other donors.* Wood- or tin-sided housing is preferred to mud housing due to its increaseddurability and equivalent cost.

4. FOOD SECURITYInsufficient food supply is available for the Ebenezer A Camp. Government-run foodprogram distribution is irregular and unpredictable and do not meet the nutritional



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requirements of community member adults and children. The arid climate poseschallenges to small- and large-scale farming without irrigation.

Background Information:Following the crisis, the Kenyan Government agreed to provide IDPs with monthlyprovision of dry food stuffs, but commitment to this promise has been shortcoming. Thefood program has been irregular, often with various months passing between deliveries.

Additionally, the food stuffs provided are limited to maize and wheat, a staple in localdiet but not sufficient in providing for the nutritional needs of the adults and children ofthe Ebenezer A Camp.

Ebenezer A Camp members have attempted to cultivate kitchen gardens on theirindividual plots to supply their families with legumes, leafy green vegetables, and otherproduce. But the arid climate is sensitive to climatic irregularities and proves difficult forcultivation without irrigation. Lack of, or limited access to water impedes efforts forirrigation.

Food has to be purchased from Kikopey town which, due to its small size and distancefrom larger towns, does not offer competitive prices.

Current Initiatives:Porridge is provided for children who attend the Community nursery school, a programfunded by VICDA Nairobi (see reference at end of document), but only to these 37children of the approximately 500 or more from Ebenezer A and surrounding campcommunities.

Well-wishers from the local and international community donate additional food stuffs,but donations are occasional.

No other initiatives are in place at this time.

Suggested solutions for Food Security:− Creation of a Cereal Bank within the Community, where staples can be purchase

at wholesale price and sold at a fair cost to community members.− Irrigation systems for kitchen gardens− Community purchase of a “shamba” (farmland) for communal cultivation.

5. ACCESS TO EDUCATIONBarriers to access of education exist for all Ebenezer A Camp members, including

nursery, primary, secondary, and adult students. School fees, materials costs, andavailability of facilities are the primary challenges.

Background Information:Nursery School – In November 2009, a one-room school house was erected on campcommon grounds to serve the Ebenezer A and surrounding camps’ nursery school agedchildren. Thirty-seven nursery school children, ages 3-6, attend the school from 8:00-12:30, Monday- Friday. The school teacher is a member of the neighboring IDP camp



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who volunteered her services when the school was first established. She was previouslyattending a teacher’s certification training program but was not able to complete herformulation due to the crisis and displacement. For the first 3 months of teaching, sheworked as a volunteer. She now receives 50 ksh (at current rate of 75 ksh:1 USD) perchild per month as compensation. The nursery school lacks materials for charts, posters,and books to enhance the learning environment, while the range of ages, learningabilities, and behavioral levels disrupts the progress of lessons on a daily basis. The

schoolhouse lacks glass on the windows, allowing cold winds and rain to distract thechildren.

Primary School – The local Kikopey Primary School graciously accepted the nearly 500IDP children that moved into the area in 2009. Unfortunately, this led to over-crowdedclassrooms in the already small and saturated school. Although attendance is free, thecosts of materials, uniforms, and testing fees prove difficult for IDP families to cover.Children attend school in tattered uniforms and often share materials, while somechildren are withheld from school because their families cannot meet costs associatedwith attending school.

Secondary School – Unlike Primary School, Secondary School in Kenya is not free. High

tuition fees in addition to the costs of materials and uniforms makes attendingSecondary School not an option for the majority of IDP children. In addition to thestruggles for children who have come to age for Secondary School since displacement,students who were attending before the crisis were forced to drop-out due todisplacement and have not been able to return due to the same cost inhibitors.

Adult Education – Many of the Ebenezer A Camp members have expressed interest inAdult Education, ranging from basic reading and writing to vocational training. Noresources are available in the immediate Kikopey town but opportunities are availablein the nearby town of Gilgil. Unfortunately, adults are also responsible for generatingincome, house- and childcare, and therefore do not have free time to pursue further

education at remote locations.

Current Initiatives:Nursery School – One international volunteer assisted the nursery school teacher todevelop lesson plans while also funding the construction of a large blackboard. Anattempt at arranging for parent teacher-assistants was initiated in order to aid inclassroom discipline while freeing the teacher to focus on teaching, but parents arereluctant to assist without compensation or incentives.

Primary School – no initiatives are underway

Secondary School - A small number of individual Secondary School students have been

able to secure sponsorship for tuition and uniform fees, but the majority of Ebenezer ACamp secondary school aged students have not.

Adult Education – A seminar series wherein community members teach othercommunity members based on their areas of expertise and interests is proposed to beginin May 2010. In addition, local experts in livestock and agriculture have agreed to adviceon household and income-generating activities, while other experts will be sought out toaddress other needs.



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Suggested solutions for Access to Education:− Nursery School – installing window on the schoolhouse, providing teacher’s-

aids, funding for classroom materials, sponsorship for teacher training tocomplete certification

− Primary and Secondary School – sponsorship for school costs, includingmaterials, uniforms, and tuition (Secondary)

− Adult Education – offer evening Adult Ed courses, including reading andwriting, at the camp local; formalize and continue seminar series

6. ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICESHealth Services are not available in the immediate surroundings of the Ebenezer ACamp requiring members to travel far distances for their healthcare needs. In addition tothe cost of health service, the cost of transportation to reach services makes careinaccessible.

Background information:Due to past medical history and the current conditions in the community (especially

those related to the tent shelters), many of the adult members suffer from chronic oracute illness. The chronic illnesses include hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, HIV,and injury incurred during the crisis violence; while the acute illnesses include upper-respiratory agitation, skin infections, gastrointestinal infections, and malaria (not acomplete list). Children suffer from the same acute illnesses in addition to commonchildhood sickness such as frequent common colds.

Current Initiatives:Well-wishers have provided sanitary dressings for cuts and superficial wounds, as wellas some basic medication for common ailments, but amounts are limited and nodistribution channel has been developed.

Community members with limited experience in healthcare have been identified, but noCommunity Health initiative to incorporate these resources has been developed.

Suggested solutions for improving to Access to Healthcare Services:− Building a dispensary within the camp− Training Community Healthcare workers within the Ebenezer A Camp on public

health issues and community driven care− Arranging for healthcare providers to visit the community regularly to offer

services en masse.

7. PROVISION OF COUNSELLING SERVICESDue to the sensitive nature of the IDP situation, counseling services could providesupport and guidance to assist in rebuilding lost lives.

Background Information:The circumstances that the IDPs endured during displacement compounded by the stateof their current life situation has led to a highly sensitive psychological situation for themajority affected. In the crisis, lives and livelihoods were lost, family members killed,



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injuries received, culture and family connections uprooted. Currently, employment isdifficult to find, costs of basic needs are difficult to meet, sickness is frequent and care isinaccessible, children have dropped or face dropping out of school, and livingconditions are distressing. Counseling services were offered immediately following thecrisis, but no follow-up has been offered. IDPs would benefit from not only traumaalleviation counseling, but from life transition, occupational or skills, and family(including youth) counseling services.

Current Initiatives:Within the Ebenezer A Camp, efforts are being made to form support groups composedof community members and led by community members in the areas of youthcounseling, family counseling, single-motherhood support, but organization is slow.

Additional efforts are being made to connect youth service organizations in Gilgil townto the youth of the Ebenezer A Camp.

Professional support is requested and required to augment these efforts.

Suggested solutions for Provision of Counseling Services

− Expand community driven efforts to build support groups− Build additional connections with services in surrounding community− Bring in experts to attend to individual members needs

The needs outlined in this report represent those most pressing at the time ofinformation collection but does not include all the needs of the community of itsindividual members.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration on Human RightsEveryone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of

himself and of his family, including food, clothing, household and medical care andnecessary social services and the right to security in the event of unemployment,sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstancesbeyond his control.

Limited support and funding for the Ebenezer A Camphas been made possible by:

− Volunteer International Community Development – Africa (VICDA), Nairobi,KENYA

− International volunteers and their fundraising efforts, in collaboration withVICDA

− Local and international well-wishers

Additional support and funding is requested to help the Ebenezer A Camp“Strive to Restoration”

Documents

EBENEZER A NEEDS ASSESSMENT