Encouraging Project Ownership for Sustainabilty April 2008

Kenya held its General Elections on 27th December, 2007. However, the outcome plunged the country into an unprecedented crisis in the country’s history. It nearly came to a standstill as activities were

temporarily paralysed and insecurity escalated in most parts of the country. As a result, nearly 1000 people lost their lives with some 350,000 being internally displaced and over 10,000 becoming refugees outside the country. The grim scenario left the whole country traumatised.

It is against this background that the Japan Ex-participants Alumni of Kenya (JEPAK) held a conference entitled ‘Management of Post-Election Violence Trauma’, the first public conference of its kind to be held after the country returned to calm. The objective of the conference was to share information which was useful for counselling and managing victims of the post-election conflict.

The conference was well attended with participants ranging from medical practitioners, teachers, retired professionals, consultants and school leavers. The resource persons were JICA – Ex-Participants drawn from various fields such as post-conflict and reconciliation experts, counsellors, sociologists and psychologists. The guest speaker was Dr. Naomi Shaban, Kenya’s Minister for Special Programs. “This conference will indeed make a significant contribution in this phase of the crisis,” said Dr. Shaban.

Among the recommendations reached were the formation of a professional body for psychologists and mental health workers who play a key role in disaster management, and the formation of a Kenya volunteer service which will help boost Kenya’s ability to cope with disasters. Others included the introduction in schools of courses that educate young Kenyans on the importance of being united as a nation.

Through this initiative, JEPAK will be able to contribute towards the post-election healing process by promoting peace and reconciliation for Kenyans to co-exist as one nation.

Reliable irrigated farming is what farmers in Kisioki and Kiambindu

schemes in Loitokitok and Mbeere districts have been longing for. The restoration of irrigation facilities washed away a decade ago at Kisioki and installation of new ones at Kiambindu is a step forward. Now they do not have too long to wait - at last their dream has come true.

With much expectation and enthusiasm from the farmers, construction of irrigation facilities is now complete in these schemes following implementation of the project on Sustainable Smallholder Irrigation Development and Management in Central and Southern Kenya, popularly known as SIDEMAN.

The project, which targets six pilot schemes is focusing on three main activities inter-relating to each other: (i) Development and rehabilitation

of irrigation facilities; (ii) Strengthening of irrigation water user associations; and (iii) Implementing training for

irrigation officers and farmers. The project encourages a

A Dream Has Come True for Farmers of Kiambindu and Kisioki

Japan Ex-participants Alumni at the Forefront of Healing Kenya

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An already constructed intake weir in Kisioki scheme, Loitokitok District.

Dr. Naomi Shaban, Kenya’s Minister for Special Programs, responds to journalists during the JEPAK National Healing Conference on Post-Election Violence.

JICA Resident Representative, Mr. Yoshiyuki Takahashi, visits a ICA project demonstration farm at Kajiado. Inset: Maasai women traders display their cultural items which they sell to tourist.

Mathematics and Science Education (MSE) is a catalyst for industrial and

technological development. Yet it faces serious challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. To address this, a joint project between the Ministry of Education and JICA known as Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) was started in 1998 as a pilot project and expanded nationally in 2003.

SMASSE, whose overall goal, is to upgrade the capability of young Kenyans in mathematics and science education at secondary level employs the ASEI (Activity, Student centred, Experiments and Improvisation) movement through the PDSI (Plan, Do, See and Improve) approach to enhance classroom practices.

The project has since expanded its activities to countries in the region. An association called SMASSE-WECSA, which is a product of a regional conference held by SMASSE in 2001, was formed out of the recognition that challenges in the teaching and learning of mathematics and sciences were similar in the African continent.

SMASSE-WECSA’s activities include sensitizing its member countries through joint workshops, technical exchange visits and National In-service Education and Training (INSET).

The ASEI movement through the PDSI approach is the pillar for the SMASSE project, emphasizes:-

Shift From To 1. Content based Activity focused 2. Teacher centered Student centered 3. Lecture/theory method Experiment & research based approach 4. Recipe type experiment Improvisation & scaled down experiments

The JICA supported Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) project at Isinya in the arid Kajiado

district has brought hope to hundreds of pastoralists in the area.

Project Improves Lives of the Maasai

sense of ownership by the farmers and fosters a spirit of cost-sharing for sustainability purposes. For instance, during construction, farmers contributed most of what they could within their means like labour and local materials while SIDEMAN met the construction cost of major components of the infrastructure. A remarkable feature about the farmers in these schemes was their motivation in self-organization and contribution to communal work. They have demonstrated how seriously they consider project ownership.

Hope is now alive for these two irrigation schemes whose agricultural potential is immense if the water supply is stable.

‘This came out of the recognition that challenges in the teaching and learning of mathematics and sciences cuts across curricula in the

African continent’

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Demystifying Math and Science Subjects: Kenyan Project Traverses Boundaries

These initiatives provide a forum for information exchange and networking on matters of maths and science education. The association, whose membership currently stands at 33 countries, collaborates with other organizations in the provision of quality education, capacity development and INSET in Africa. Notable is the interest shown by the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to collaborate with SMASSE in its education projects. SMASSE-WECSA draws a lot of support from its parent project, SMASSE-Kenya. SMASSE-WECSA Association, through the sponsorship of JICA, sends personnel from its, Secretariat, based at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA), Nairobi, to member countries where they assist in capacity development for project management in planning, implementation and evaluation of INSET. Such personnel, referred to as Third Country Experts, have been sent to Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal, Burkina Faso. Tanzania, Rwanda, Lesotho and Angola. Third Country Experts conduct needs assessment surveys, develop training programs, conduct training together with country counterparts, conduct training for core trainers and evaluate training.

Pipe installation by farmers in Kiambindu scheme, Mbeere.

JICA Resident Representative, Mr. Yoshiyuki Takahashi, visits a ICA project demonstration farm at Kajiado. Inset: Maasai women traders display their cultural items which they sell to tourist.

The Seminar on Intelligence and Profiling was held recently in Nairobi. Thirty–four Customs

Officers from the Revenue Authorities of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda attended the seminar.

The Seminar was held under the auspices of the newly initiated project on Capacity Building for Customs Administrations of Eastern African Region. The project is being coordinated by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and will be implemented over a two-year period from 2007 to 2009. The objective of the project is to enhance the capacity of the Kenya Revenue Authority to operate a One Stop Border Project (OSBP) system and develop the capacity of customs operations in cooperation with the Revenue Authorities of Tanzania and Uganda.

It is expected that through this project, custom officers and respective stakeholders will obtain appropriate

knowledge to manage the OSBP system and that they will be able to provide effective and efficient services under this system.

The seminar was the first to be held under the project and covered topics relating to intelligence theory, intelligence techniques, risk assessment and management.

Participants were also taken through the customs clearance process in Japan, how Japan’s Customs authority selects high risk cargos through the computerized systems, as well as their intelligence activities.

The seminar was well appreciated by the participants.

Seminar on Intelligence and Profiling for Customs Officials

Project Manager, Mr. Mark Luswati, says JICA’s involvement in the project started in 2006 where the project is working in 12 villages in Ilpolosat and Enkirrigirri sub-

locations. The Project involves training of the traditionally Maasai herdsmen in agriculture, construction of water ponds and soil conservation to enable them survive the long droughts which often affect the area.

A water pond built in one of the villages in Ilpolosat sub-location holds over 150,000 litres of rain water. This water sustained herdsmen during drought that hit the area in 2007. Improved agricultural techniques which the

pastoralists have learnt through the ICA project also

helped them to produce food crops. In the past two years, six villages

have been trained in modern farming methods in Ilpolosat sub-location alone. Another six have been trained

Project Improves Lives of the Maasai

in Enkirrgirri. This has prepared the Maasai to understand and appreciate the value of agriculture in improving their lives and food security.

Training in organic farming has also been carried out in the area to sensitize the residents about better farming methods.

Mr. Jonanthan Ole Kileu says: “I’m pleased to have participated in ICA’s training in modern agriculture and leadership. This will help me to assist the rest of the community by sensitizing them in modern agriculture”.

Project coordinator from ICA Japan, Ms. Naomi Sato, says the project has also tried to market Maasai cultural items as part of the efforts to uplift the standard of living of the Maasai.

She says the agriculture demonstration

A Japanese expert trains Revenue Authorities on various aspects of their jobs.

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Published by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Kenya Office P.O. Box 50572-00200, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254-20) 2724121-4, Fax: (254-20) 2718202. E-mail: ky-oso-rep@jica.go.jp

Website: http://www.jica.go.jp/kenya/index.html

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T he Project for Strengthening of Wildlife

Conservation Education (SOWCE) that has been implemented for the past three years at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) with support from JICA has ended. The project was part of a long history of cooperation between JICA and KWS which has spanned over 15 years.

During the ceremony to mark the end of the project, JICA Resident Representative, Mr. Yoshiyuki Takahashi, said the project was a good example of successful JICA-supported projects in Kenya.

He said the project had contributed a lot to conservation education in Kenya. It also contributed a lot towards the consolidation of the foundation of the Conservation Education

Wildlife Conservation Education Project Ends

Strategy (2006 – 2011) which was formulated through the strong initiative of KWS. The strategy is the framework upon which the future of conservation education in this country is based.

The project also helped to enhance the education department of the KWS and will form the basis for continuous implementation of conservation education in Kenya.

Under the project, seven

c o u n t e r p a r t personnel from KWS were trained in Japan and three others also participated in Third Country Training in Malaysia. In addition, one KWS staff acquired a doctorate in Education for Wild Animal Protection from the Kyoto University through

JICA’s sponsorship.The KWS Director, Dr. Julius

Kipng’etich, said he was thankful to the Japanese government for its continued assistance to the organization and hoped that this would continue in the future. He said the assistance had left KWS a better organization than before and emphasized that experts and volunteers who had worked there had left a lasting impression.

JICA’s Resident Representative, Mr. Yoshiyuki Takahashi, and the KWS Director, Dr. Julius Kipng’etich, exchange views during the winding up meeting of Wildlife Conservation Education Project at KWS offices.

JICA Resident Representative, Mr. Yoshiyuki Takahashi, with Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Prof. Wangari Maathai, and a Japanese journalist when he paid a courtesy call at the Green Belt Movement Offices in Nairobi. Prof. Maathai, expressed her desire to work with JICA in Environmental Conservation issues in Kenya.

TICAD IV Due in May

The Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development will be held in May 2008 in Yokohama, Japan. TICAD is a policy forum for African Development which Japan initiated in 1993. The forum is held after every five years. TICAD IV will be held on 28 -30 May this year in Japan just before the G8 summit which will also be held in Japan this year. Discussions at the conference whose theme calls for a Vibrant Africa will centre around topics on:- (i) Boosting Economic Growth in Africa;(ii) Ensuring ‘Human Security’; and(iii) Addressing Environmental Issues/

Climate change.Kenya is expected to participate in the conference.

farms have been very impressive as this has helped to identify crops that do well in the area.

The project has also been helping the Maasai to learn various ways of controlling soil erosion in order to conserve the fertility of their soils.

Last year, the project organized a live cultural exchange telecast via satellite that had Maasai from Isinya share a lively discussion with Japanese people through an intepreter. Both groups learnt a lot about each others culture.

JICA’s support for the Isinya project ends later in the year but beneficiaries are hoping that it could be extended.