Partnering to Restore Hope in the Horn of Africa
The drought in the Horn of Africa – the worst in 60 years – has had devastating consequences. SAI’s client, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, INC (NCMI) is identifying ways to respond to this current crisis, as the famine requires an immediate response and swift action. However, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Africa is also committed to building capacity in its congregations and NGOs to address the systemic issues around health, education and safety. SAI, in our role as Global Resource Coordinators for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, INC, was asked to help assess the current capacity and opportunities for NCM-Africa to develop a response to this current famine and drought. More
Cosmos Mutowa, Regional Coordinator for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries in Africa, has challenged the denomination to raise $500,000 to initiate and be part of a global effort to respond to this crisis by providing water, sanitation, food, shelter, and services to protect women and children.
Because of SAI’s current work in Kenya with the Kenya Youth Employment and Empowerment Initiative, we began looking at Kenyan resources and opportunities for collaboration in response to the famine. We conducted a site visit to Garissa and then to Dadaab on August 4-6, 2011. During these visits, SAI met with Kenya Red Cross, Food for the Hungry, UNICEF, UNHCR, Samaritan’s Purse, CARE International, and OXFAM to assess what current efforts are focusing on, where the greatest need is, and what contribution our team could make to be most effective. Based on these meetings, SAI is currently working with NCMI to finalize an action plan. Part of this plan will include addressing both the current needs caused by the crisis as well as long-term capacity building to increase longer-term resilience among vulnerable populations.