Karel Prinsloo/© Adeso Prinsloo/© Karel 2014: CHANGING THE STORY ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS Our Impact In 2014, Adeso’s humanitarian and development efforts reached nearly 1.9 million people in Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. Our impact 02 Foreword 03 84,218 833,417 Where we work 04 people were empowered through unconditional cash people gained access to clean Fatima Jibrell Awarded Top Global Environmental Prize 05 transfers, allowing them to drinking water, hygiene and sanitation meet their basic needs. through trainings and building of new The Walking Classrooms of Kenya 07 facilities. A Brighter Future for the Young Men of Badhan, Somalia 09 The Rice Farmers of Northeastern Kenya 11 15,594 21,923 people received livelihood South Sudanese Returnee Finds her Niche in Farming 13 people acquired skills for support grants to sustain life and a living wage from our Cash for them on their way to self-sufficiency. Changing Rangelands in Somalia, One Site at a Time 15 Work projects. Breaking the Chain of Poverty 17 404,338 Our Vision, Mission and Values 19 36,847 people were mobilized to rehabilitate Financial figures 20 people accessed training, tools their environment and benefited from tree and seeds to increase their land’s Boards of Directors 22 planting, rangeland management plans yield and feed their families. and the building of structures to restore Donors and partners 22 rangelands. 02 Ahmed Farah/© Adeso Farah/© Ahmed Where we Work Changing the Story Sool & Sanaag region , Somalia We empowered vulnerable members of the community, including women and youth, to improve their quality of One community at a time, our efforts this year focused life. on helping individuals and families build a better life for Puntland, Somalia In 2012, we worked across Puntland with women from themselves. different walks aof life engaged in their own peace and reconstruction efforts. When I first joined Adeso in 2003 as Deputy Director, I had and nutritional status of their families, and to increase their big dreams about what the organization could achieve. Just ability to sustain future shocks. Mudug region, Somalia over 10 years later, I am immensely proud of the progress In South Central Somalia, we played a leading role in the All of these efforts come at a time when the international largest cash transfer program ever undertaken by NGOs we have made, and of the impact we are having on people’s in response to a humanitarian emergency. lives. In 2014 alone, we reached nearly two million people humanitarian system is faced with meeting unprecedented needs. Between 2004 and 2013, the size of the global across Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan. South Central Somalia humanitarian appeal increased from $3 billion to $16.4 Our field teams in each of these countries continued to billion, and there were more displaced people by the end In South Central Somalia, we played a leading role in work around our four key thematic areas: equipping people of 2013 than at any point since World War II. At the same the largest cash transfer program ever undertaken by with skills for life and work; helping to reinvigorate local time, the global community is coming together through NGOs in response to a humanitarian emergency. economies; providing humanitarian aid; and influencing the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) to find new ways policy. of working together to save lives and keep humanitarian Marsabit County, Kenya We helped young nomadic girls access an education action fit for the future. As an organization from the Global In Kenya, our efforts to strengthen social, economic, and through non-formal education centres that dot South, we have been closely involved in the WHS process, migratory paths. environmental resilience continued unabated, reaching advocating for a greater voice and role for southern actors just over 425,000 people. In addition to providing direct in the current humanitarian system. support to communities, we also helped them leverage Isiolo County, Kenya USD 2.5 million from the Government of Kenya and other As we look to the future and take on new challenges, we We worked with our partner, Sidai Africa Limited, to improve access to quality animal health care among development actors. We also launched an ambitious believe it is important to share stories of change from our pastoralists. 30-month nomadic education pilot project to enhance work in 2014. So instead of overwhelming our supporters access to education for pastoralist children in the arid and the broader public with too many statistics and Wajir and Garissa Counties, Kenya north, with emphasis on girls. technical information, this year’s annual report focuses on We supported community groups improve their the people behind the numbers. We hope that the stories production and marketing of fodder and milk, leading to Based on our belief that the health of the natural that follow will provide the reader with a clearer grasp of Northern Bahr el Ghazal sales of over USD 25,000. environment, and its protection, are integral to a thriving the work we are doing, and inspire you to help us increase We helped 11,328 people to access tools and seeds to increase their land’s yield and feed economy, we continued implementing a large-scale our reach in the years to come. natural resource management project in Somalia. We their families Nairobi Headquarters worked with 47 communities – about 175,000 people As always, I take this opportunity to emphasize that our By the end on 2014, approximately 40 people worked – to build low-technology projects that help restore work would not be possible with the support of our staff, in our Nairobi office; providing support to field staff in rangelands, while also exploring opportunities to increase and our generous partners – thank you for helping us Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan. uptake of alternative energy sources. In addition, we change the story. worked specifically with Somali women – who are rarely Turkana County, Kenya adequately involved in political decision-making – to equip We worked with close to 120,000 people to strengthen them with the skills they need to become effective leaders their social, economic, and environmental resilience. and have their voices heard. In South Sudan we provided close to 2,000 farmers with Executive Director, Degan Ali 04 trainings, tools and seeds to improve the food security Fatima Jibrell Awarded Top Global Environmental Prize © UNEP In November 2014, Adeso’s founder and a leading environment. The challenges then, as now, were significant. environmentalist, was awarded the 2014 Champions of Pastoralists relied heavily on a healthy environment to the Earth award for her tireless effort to protect Somalia’s endure Somalia’s unpredictable and harsh climate. Yet the fragile pastoral environment. Champions of the Earth impact of the civil war jeopardized a traditional way of life. is the United Nations’ flagship environment award, It was Fatima who saw the connection between peace, granted in recognition of the critical contributions of women’s empowerment, resource protection, and the visionaries and leaders in the fields of policy, science, need to equip communities with skills – an understanding entrepreneurship and civil society action. In 2014 Fatima that continues to drive her work today. Jibrell was recognized for her outstanding achievements in the field of Inspiration and Action, at a prestigious Fatima’s work to build peace, advocate for better Award Ceremony held in Washington, DC, on November environmental practices, and protect the livelihoods of 19th. Somalia’s pastoralists was recognized in 2002 when she was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize – the Born into a nomadic pastoral family, Fatima’s love for world’s most prestigious grassroots environmental award. the environment and her people started at an early age. In 2008, Fatima’s work earned her more international Growing up, every year she and her family would move in acclaim when she won the National Geographic/Buffet search of grazing land. As a young girl she herded goats Award for Leadership in African Conservation. and sheep, and slept on top of camels. In 1991, when the civil war broke out in Somalia, Fatima was living in Her vision of a peaceful and healthy Somalia continues Connecticut with her husband and five young daughters, to inform the work of Adeso today. While Fatima has and quickly became devastated by what was happening retired from Adeso, she remains an active member of the to her land and her people. To enable her to transform organization’s boards. In addition, the legacies of her work her vision of peace and conservation into reality, Fatima continue to flourish in the institutions she has helped put founded Adeso (then called the Horn of Africa Relief and in place, and the legislations that she has helped pass. By Development Organization, and later Horn Relief). After working with communities to foster bottom-up change, trying for some time to advocate and raise funds from Fatima has ensured that she builds capacity for action that within the United States, she eventually made the bold will outlast her work. decision to move her family back to Somalia, at a time Fatima is an excellent example of what it means to be a where most people were fleeing the country. Fatima felt woman, an environmentalist, and a lover of peace and that if things were to change for the better, Somalis like of her country. Her life and achievements are worthy of herself needed to help make a difference on the ground. celebration and recognition. We take this opportunity to From the beginning, Fatima mobilized local and thank Fatima for all her hard work and dedication. international resources to protect Somalia’s pastoral 06 The Walking Classrooms of Marsabit In pursuit of education © Adeso Karel Prinslo Karel Meet Doke Sharamo.