• MandelaDay,makingtheworldabetterplacein67minutes

• Victimsofpost-electionviolencefeedingtheirhostcommunity

• UNVcallsforvolunteerismtoenhanceregionalintegration

• ALivelihoodStrategyReportonUrbanRefugeeslaunchedinNairobibyUNHCRandtheDanishRefugeeCouncil

• IOMsupportshostcommunitiesinNorthernKenyatocopewithdrought

• InnovativefamilyplanningservicesforKenyanyouths

• ICAOparticipatesinatransformationprocessoftheKenyaMeteorologicalDepartment

• UN-HabitatstaffertakespartinOlympicTorchrelay

UN KENYA NewsletterPublished by the United Nations System in Kenya

Sustainable Development: A Future worth ChoosingAugust 2012

which jiggers can affect individuals byhighlightingthesymptomsofaninfectedchild. Led by the SouthAfrican HighCommissioner toKenya,Mr.NdumisoNtshinga,allguestswereprovidedwiththe necessary kits for treating the jiggers-infected kids. This was an opportunityforUNstaffmemberswhoparticipatedintheexercisetocontributeinimprovingthehealthofthechildrenatJujafarm.The UNIC Director, Mr. Nasser

Ega-Musawho led theUN teamnotedhow the activity had strengthened thepartnership between the UN, civil andcorporatesocieties.Headded:“Thekidswhoseinfestedfeetwelovinglywashedwillnever forget thekindness andcarewebroughtintotheirobviouslydifficult

lives”.TheUNSecretaryGeneral’smessage

fortheDaywasdeliveredat thefunction.The message encouraged everyone totakeactionandbepartof theMandelamovement to make the world a betterplace.“That”,hesaid,“isthebestwaytowishNelsonMandelaaveryhappy94thbirthday.”The speeches from the Government

and other partners recognized Mr.Mandela’s contribution to democracy,racialjusticeandreconciliationinhis67yearstopublicserviceAttheUNONcomplex,theSecretary

General’s videomessage was screenedthroughouttheday.

Mandela Day, making the world a better place in 67 minutes

What’s Inside:

A volunteer treating a kid who has jiggers © UNIC, 2012

Upcoming Events8September :InternationalLiteracyDay15September:InternationalDayofDemocracy16September:InternationalDayforthePreservationoftheOzoneLayer21September:InternationalDayofPeace24September:WorldMaritimeDay

UN NewsletterKenya

On18July2012,asmillionsofpeople globally observed theNelson Mandela International

Day, in Kenya it was marked with an“Anti-Jigger” activity. The staff of theUnitedNations,theSouthAfricanHighCommission, the Ahadi Kenya TrustFoundation and other partners joinedhandstotreatjiggers-infectedpersonsatJujafarminThikadistrict.Tomake theDayasuccess, individual

UN staff members and those of theSouth African High Commissioncontributed funds to buy medication kitsforthetreatmentofJiggers.Inaddition,private sector organizations donatedvariousitemstothecommunity.Children as young as eighteen

months were among those treated. Atthe beginningof the treatment process,Dr. Stanley Kamau of theAhadi TrustFoundation explained the extent to

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Victims of post-election violence feeding their host community

The post-election violence thatrockedKenyain2007/2008lefthundredsofthousandsdisplaced

in various parts of the country. Fouryears later, UN Volunteer Eric Oyuyoknows justhowarduous the journey torecoveryhasbeenforthemanythatweredisplacedinandoutsideKisumu.Eric serves in the lake city as the

Coordinator for the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP)’sPost Election Violence LivelihoodRecovery project with the Disaster RiskReductionunit.Overthelastthreeyears,his work has involved working withthe internally displaced persons (IDPs)through Government ministries andinstitutions to help them recover theirlivelihoods andmove on from the post-electionviolencelosses.“People think that there were no

IDPs in Kisumu…there actually werevery many of them, in addition to alltheoneswhoweredisplacedfromother

GREDCO Chairperson (in white cap) shaking hands with Muhoroni District Officer as he appreciates a gift of a water pump for irrigation from the Post-Election Violence-Livelihood Recovery Project. Handing over the pump is Erick Oyuyo (in a beige shirt) the UNDP/UNV Field Coordinator of the project© UNV, 2012

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towns and came back to settle here,”Ericexplainsashetalksaboutthemanybeneficiariesofthisproject.One of the groups that Eric has

supported is the GREDCO self helpgroup,anIDPgroupbasedinMuhoroniDistrictofKisumuCounty.The group comprises 15 members

who were displaced during electionviolencein2002and2007,mostlyfromthe Rift Valley region, and who haveintegratedandsettledintheircommunitybackinMuhoroni,Mutwalaarea.Thegroupinvolvesyouth,who,after

the violence opted not to go back towhere theyused toworkbut rather settleback home and find alternative meansto meet their livelihoods needs. Giventhefoodneedinthemainlyhorticulturalfarming area, planting kales becamehandy as a starting point tomeet theirhousehold food requirement and earnincometomeetotherfamilyneeds.Theinitial targetmarketwas traders fromthe

localmarketsinMuhoronitown.InAugust2011,theprojectorganized

for a business management skillstraining for IDPs in Muhoroni andmembersofthegroupwereidentifiedaspartof theparticipants for the training.Fromthetrainingwhichcoveredamongother topics marketing, record keepingand resource mobilization, the groupgottheirbusinessskillsimprovedwhichtheyputintopracticeafterthetraining.Thegrouphasbeenabletosourcefor

othermarkets forkaleswhich includedtwosecondaryschoolswithinMuhoronitown, which gave them contracts tosupply the schools with vegetables.Becauseof the training, the group alsoappreciated the need to diversify theirproducts to include watermelons andbutternuts, thelatestprojectbeinglocalpoultry-keeping which they have justinitiated.Currentlythegrouphasahalfan acre of kales soon to be harvested,oneacreofwatermelons,halfanacreofbutternutsand27localchickensalmoststartingtolayeggs.Because of the group’s hard work

and impressive progress, the projecthas since granted their request for andprovidedthemwithawaterpumpwhichtheyareusingtoirrigatetheirfarms.Thiswillenablethemproducevegetablesandothercropsallyearroundhencebeinginbusinessthroughouttheyear.The group has started a revolving

fund scheme with the project throughtheMinistry of Trade granting them aseed capital of Ksh.60,000. MembersareabletoborrowfromthisfunduptoamaximumofKsh.10,000andusethemoneystrictlytofinancetheirindividualbusinesses.Somemembershaveinitiatedtheir individual farms; this is therippleeffectofthegroup’shorticultureproject.Onaveragethegroupismakinganet

incomeofKsh.15,000fromthesaleofkales and butternuts. This is expectedto increase with the introduction ofwatermelonsandpoultryfarming.With

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UNV’s Senior Portfolio Manager for East Africa Tapiwa Kamuruko (left) presents a copy of the State of the World’s Volunteering Report to Kenya’s Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, EGH, MP, during the Africa Conference on Volunteer Action for Peace and Development © UNV, 2012

UNV calls for volunteerism to enhance regional integration

The United Nations Volunteers(UNV) programme has calledfor the scaling up of volunteer

effort to support regional integrationin EastAfrica. Speaking at theAfricaConference on Volunteer Action forPeace and Development held at theUN offices inNairobi (UNON),UNVSeniorManager for EastAfrica, TapiwaKamuruko pointed out that volunteerismcould contribute greatly to enhancingregional exchanges and meetingcommondevelopmentchallenges.Mr. Kamuruko observed that the

unemployedyouthin theregionshouldbe encouraged to take up voluntaryservice and supported in exchangeprogrammes to ensure they are gainfullyengaged and are exposed to relevantskillsandculture.Speakingattheopeningofthesame

event, UN Resident Coordinator &UNDP Resident Representative AeneasChuma pointed out that theUN system,led byUNV, has continued to supportvolunteerism and called for stakeholderstocontinuedoingso.HealsonotedtheUNCountryTeam’scontinuedsupporttotheprocessofdevelopinganationalvolunteerpolicyforKenyathroughtheMinistryofGender,Children&SocialDevelopment.The conference, held from 2 to 4

July, placed emphasis on the role ofyouth voluntary service and regionalvolunteer exchange programmes infostering regional integration andcommunity-centred sustainabledevelopment inEastAfricaandAfricaingeneral.It brought together about 400

young people from Kenya, Uganda,Tanzania,RwandaandBurundiaswellasNigeria,Korea,Canada and others.It also included several volunteerinvolving organizations, both localand international as well as senior

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representatives from the private sectorandGovernment.Over the two days, UNV encouraged

discussion around the outcomesof International Year of Volunteers(IYV+10), the UN GeneralAssemblyResolution 66/67 of 2011 and the callfrom the UN Secretary-General toestablish a GlobalYouthVolunteeringmodality. The conference ended witha resolution for the establishment ofanEastAfricaPeace&ServiceCorpsthatwillbeaplatformforgalvanizingyouth volunteer action in the region.ThePrimeMinisteroftheRepublicofKenya,Rt.HonRailaOdinga,launched

the East Africa Peace Service CorpsActionPlanattheConference.The Chairperson of the Conference

wastheEastAfricanBusinessCouncilChairman, Dr. Manu Chandaria. Alsoin attendance were UNON Director-General Sahle Work-Zewde, UN-Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos,theMinisterofEducation,Hon.MutulaKilonzo, and the Permanent Secretaryin the Ministry of the East AfricanCommunity,Mr.DavidNalo.Sponsorsoftheconferenceincluded

the Government, UN agencies,the private sector and civil societyorganizations.

the constant follow-up from the Fieldcoordinator and other partners in theproject the group is set to be the food

basketofMutwalavillageinMuhoroniDistrictofKisumuCounty.For Eric, this one group is a

prime example of the reason why hisvolunteeringmatters!

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A Livelihood Strategy Report on Urban Refugees launched in Nairobi by UNHCR and the Danish

Refugee Council

IOM supports host communities in Northern Kenya to cope with drought

Urban refugees performing a play during the Livelihood Strategy Report launch in Nairobi © Duke Mwancha, UNHCR 2012

in Kayole, Eastleigh and Kitengelaestates in Nairobi. He also said thatthe launchof thereport is thefirststeptowardspromotingrefugeeselfrelianceas envisaged in the four year strategicframework.While supporting these sentiments,

UNHCR’s Assistant Representative incharge of protection issues JacquelineParlevliet agreed that the report will go alongwaytosynergizepartner’seffortsinlivelihoodinterventions.The Government’s Department of

Refugee Affairs (DRA) through itsCommissionerKateloBadupromisedtoensure all urban refugees are providedwith identity cards with ease sincethe document is necessary in upliftingrefugees’socialeconomiclives.Threeurban refugees representatives

fromRwanda,theDemocraticRepublicofCongo andEthiopia did not hide theirexcitement during the launch. Theyall narrated their mixed fortunes butexpressed optimism with the report’srecommendations. They also urgedthe Government and humanitarianagencies present particularly UNHCR,to sustain efforts in improving refugees’livelihoods.

AreportonUrbanLivelihoodforrefugees living in urban areaswaslaunchedinNairobionJuly

31byUNHCRandtheDanishRefugeeCouncil(DRC).Thecolorfuleventtookplaceat theFrenchCulturalCenter in themiddleofNairobicityandwasattendedby over 120 participants who includedurban refugees, donors, Governmentofficials,UNHCRpartners andmembersofthepress.The launch came threemonths after

UNHCR and partners had agreed in a

IOM has completed a-five-daytraining for 180 pastoralists fromsix locations in Dadaab district in

northernKenyaonhowtoprotect theirlivestock and improve their livelihoodsduringperiodsofdrought.The training involved animal

workshoptochatafouryearlivelihoodstrategic framework for urban refugeesand asylum seekers. The strategicframework will address four essentialpillars which include Safety nets andconsumptionsupport,Accesstotrainingand employment, and Advocacy andEnterprisedevelopment.Speakingduringtheevent,theDanish

RefugeeCouncil (DRC)CountryDirectorMr. David Kan’gethe said the launchwasaculminationofasurveywhichwasadministeredbybothDRCandUNHCR

husbandry and feeding during the dryseason, pasture re-seeding during thewetseason, and de-stocking during droughtalarm and emergency stages. Pastoralistswho attended the course are expected topassontheirknowledgetoothers.Raisingcattleisthemainoccupation

ofthepeopleofnorthernandnortheasternKenya who are hosting thousands ofSomalis fleeing drought and war inSomalia.Theareaishometosomeoftheworld’s largest refugee camps housingsome453,000Somalis.During the dry season, thousands of

UN NewsletterKenya

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livestock perish every year due to lackof pasture and the spread of animaldiseases, and Dadaab pastoralists arecurrently on alert following a shortwetseasoninAprilandMay2012.Pastoralist communities are

particularlyaffectedbydroughtas theyface the imminent threat of losing theirlivelihoods as their weakened herdsstruggle to survive disease, hungerand thirst in an increasingly desperatesearchforpastureandwater.The influx of the Somalis has

exacerbated the difficult livelihoodconditions and often spikes tensionsbetween the refugees and hostcommunities over sharing scarceresources. Helping to improve theadaptability of livestock to drought isdesignedtoreducelivelihoodhardshipsfor the hosting community and fosterbettercommunalrelations.IOM is also carrying out a five-day

livestockvaccinationof15,587animalsbelonging to Dadaab refugees and thehost community to help boost theirresilience to drought conditions. Theanimals, including cattle, sheep, goats,camelsanddonkeysarebeingde-wormed

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IOM has provided training for 180 pastoralists from six locations in Dadaab District to improve their livelihoods during periods of drought © IOM, 2012

The United Nations PopulationFund (UNFPA) in Kenya haslaunched a Family Planning

programme focusing on youthwithin theMuslim communities in Malindi Districtalong the coastal strip of Kenya. Theproject will use innovative approachesto demystifymyths andmisconceptionaroundfamilyplanningandIslam.The programme aims at enhancing

the delivery of quality AdolescenceSexual Reproductive Health (ASRH)information and services; increasingcommitment by political, religious andcommunityleaderstoASRHanddemandand utilization of Sexual ReproductiveHealth (SRH) information and services

Innovative family planning services for Kenyan youthsbyyoungpeople.The project is being implemented

byUNFPAandtheKenyaGovernmentthrough the Ministry of Public Healthand Sanitation, with support from thePackardFoundation.The innovative programme was

launched onWorld PopulationDay on11 July 2012 in a ceremony attendedbyUNFPAstaff,Government officials,community leaders and NGOs. Theproject, Catalyzing Action in Kenya: Working with Muslim faith leaders for Family Planning, seeks to increase uptake of family planning within thecommunity.The launch which coincided with

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and are also receiving treatment againstvarious parasites common in the areaandpneumonia.IOM organized the training, which

isfundedbyJapan,followingarequestfrom the KenyaMinistry of LivestockandDevelopment.In 2011 IOM spent US$ 400,000

providedbytheUNCentralEmergencyResponse Fund (CERF) to provide

livelihood assistance and training tosome 40,000 vulnerable pastoralistsin the region, 60% of them women.The funds were used in a six-monthemergencyprogrammethatinvolvedre-stockinghouseholdswithcamels,whicharemore resistant to drought and disease,aswellasprovidingtraininginvariousagriculturalactivities.

the World Population Day celebrations,includedoutreachservicesforthreedaystoincrease theuptakeofreproductivehealthservices.TheeventwasattendedbyDr.Alexander Ilyin, the UNFPA DeputyRepresentativeandDr.AnisaOmar,theProvincial Director in the Ministry ofPublic Health and Sanitation. UNFPATechnical personnel present includedDr.GeoffreyOkumu,BatulaAbdi andKjetil Bordvik. The event held at theMalindiStadiumwaspresidedoverbythe Malindi District Commissioner.Public mobilization events includeda procession and a caravan showorganizedbyRadioKaya,alocalradiostation.

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ICAO participates in a transformation process of the Kenya Meteorological Department

The International Civil AviationOrganization(ICAO),asamajorstakeholder of the National

Meteorological Service of Kenya,participatedinaworkshoporganizedbythe Kenya Meteorological Department(KMD) to chart the way forward forits transformation into an autonomousagency.Theworkshopwas held on 20July2012inNairobi.As an autonomous entity, the KMD

would be enabled to provide servicesin a more flexible, affordable andcost effective way, to meet the ever

The project will provide a platformfor Muslim scholars to discuss anddevelop standard family planningmessages within the context of Islam.Theprogrammecomes inhandy in thebackdrop of huge gaps in the unmetneed for family planning. Kenya hasa maternal mortality rate of 488 per100,000 live births. The unmet needforfamilyplanningis24percent.TheCoast province has a Contraceptive

PrevalenceRateof30per cent againstthe national one of 46 per cent. Coastprovince therefore has a high unmetneedforfamilyplanning.Through the programme, UNFPA

seeks to show that even in the mostdifficult environments family planningoutputs can be improved throughresearch-informed and context-specificplannedactivities.At the heart of this programme is

the commitment to furthering researchandtheconstantproductionofstrategicinformation. Insight will be gainedinto the social and cultural barriers foraccessingfamilyplanningamongyoungwomen in Muslim communities. Faithleaderswithinthesecommunitieswillbeengagedonanumberoflevelsandwillcontribute to the active interpretationandteachingofIslamictextsinsupportoffamilyplanning.

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(Left) Preparing for a procession to mark World Population Day celebrations in Malindi and the launch of the project to promote family planning to youths in Kenya. (Right) Health care service providers at a youth-friendly corner provide information on reproductive health services. The letter ‘c’ on their t-shirts stands for contraceptive © UNFPA, 2012

changing user needs and technologicaladvancements.Such transformation requires wide

consultation and involvement ofstakeholders especially in the initialstages.Oneimportantstepintheprocessis holding of a stakeholders’workshopto discuss the effects of transformationofKMDintoanagency,theroleoftheproposedagencyinthesocio-economicdevelopmentandalsohowbest to reapmaximumbenefitsfromtheagency.Participation of ICAO at this important

meeting could not be underscored

because a vital activity following de-linking of KMD from the mainstreamcivil service, will be the establishmentof a cost recovery mechanism foraeronautical meteorological services.These services, being part of airnavigation services, will be expectedto comply with ICAO global chargingpolicy. Similarly, regional agreementsrelatingtocostrecoveryforaeronauticalmeteorologicalservicestowhichKenyais a signatory, will also need to beadopted. Workshop participants were

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UN-Habitat staffer takes part in Olympic Torch relay

Earlier in July, UN-Habitatstaff member Julius Mwelubecamepartofhistorywhenhe

participatedintheOlympicTorchRelayinNorwichCity,UnitedKingdom.“This is a dream come true for me

because participating in the Olympicsisalmosteveryhumanbeing’sdream.IamgladthatinawayItookpartinthishistoric event by carrying theOlympicTorch,” a beaming Julius said after therace.The I n t e r na t i ona l O lymp i c

Committee (IOC) invited UN-HabitattotakepartintheOlympicTorchRelayfor the London Olympic Games 2012.UN-Habitat Executive Director, Dr.Joan Clos, selected Julius, the UN-Habitat official photographer, as theagency’srepresentativeforhispersonalachievement from being a Mathareslumdwellertobecomingarecognizedprofessionalwithaninternationaldocket.JuliusisanexampleofUnitedNations

valuesattheOlympicGames.Avisiblyelated Julius said that his participationin the relay was in line with the new

Participants at the Kenya Meteorological Department Stakeholders’ Workshop© ICAO, 2012

made aware of these issues and KMDagreed toconsiderand include them intheirpolicypaper.ICAO,inconjunctionwiththeWorld

Meteorological Organization, hasdeveloped several guidance materialson cost recovery of aeronauticalmeteorological serviceswhich the newentity can benefit from. A number ofworkshops and seminars have also beenconducted on cost recovery in the regionthroughICAO’sinitiative.ThemeetingwasassuredthatICAOis

willingtoprovidefurtherguidancewhenrequired, in relation to cost recovery foraeronauticalmeteorologicalservices.

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UN-Habitat staff member Julius Mwelu participating in the Olympic Torch Relay in Norwich City, United Kingdom © UN-Habitat, 2012

UN NewsletterKenya

8

Karibu UNON!It’s your World!

Visit us! Take a Tour!

Visiting hoursMonday to Thursday 9:30am – 3pm

Fridays 9:30am -12noonEmail: un.tours@unon.org

Tel: 254 -20-762 22034Website: http://www.unicnairobi.org/Visitors_service.asp

© UNIC-Nairobi

****

UN-Habitat campaign, ‘I am a City Changer’, an initiative that seeks toencourage all urban dwellers to takeproactive action to improve the livingconditionsintheircities..By the time the games kicked off,

some 8,000 Torchbearers carried theFlame through more than 1,000 cities,townsandvillagesintheUnitedKingdomover a period of 70 days. Each one ofthemhadapersonalhistorytosharewiththeotherpeoplewhowerewatching.JuliusMweluisaphotographerfrom

the slums of Nairobi.All the awards thatJulius has won, such us the MagnumFoundation grant, have been a great

supporttohistorchbearerapplication.Julius says: “I started taking photos

when I was just 12 years old but myfirst attempts were not very goodbecause I had missed people’s handsandsometimestheirheads!Butnopainnogain, and after twoor threemonthsI became a better photographer, underthe Shootback project [a project thattrainedteenagersfromMatharetouseapoint-and-shootcamera tocapture theireveryday lives]. A selection of photosfrom thisprojectwasmade intoa self-titled book which was a success andencouragedmetoworkharder.“Later, with the help of Jasper

Groen(aphotographerfromHolland)Imanagedtoholdasolophotoexhibitionin Holland and even published a bookwithmyownphotoscalled“Julius”allabout life in the slum. In my normalroutine of photography, I would meetwith enthusiastic kids in the community,who would ask me how the cameraworks and how the photos come out.That’showIcameupwiththeideaforthe Mwelu Foundation through whichI helpyouth living in slums to expresstheir lives through photography andvideo.”

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UN NewsletterKenya

9

This Newsletter is compiled by the UN Communications Group in Kenya (UNCG)and edited by the United Nations Information Centre, Nairobi.

For more information contact: UNCG Chair, P. O. Box 67578-00100 Nairobi, Kenya.

Tel: 020-76221102, E-mail: nairobi.unic@unon.org

1. Providesfoodto90millionpeoplein73countries2. Vaccinates58percentoftheworld’schildren,saving2.5millionlivesayear3. Assistsover36millionrefugeesandpeoplefleeingwar,famineorpersecution4. Combatsclimatechange;headsacampaigntoendleadedfueluseinover100nations5. Keepspeacewith120,000peacekeepersin16operationson4continents6. Fightspoverty,helping370millionruralpoorachievebetterlivesinthelast30years7. Protectsandpromoteshumanrightsonsiteandthroughsome80treaties/declarations8. MobilizesUS$12.4billioninhumanitarianaidtohelppeopleaffectedbyemergencies9. Advancesdemocracy,assistingsome30countriesayearwiththeirelections10. Promotesmaternalhealth,savingthelivesof30millionwomenayear

Formoreinformationpleasevisit:www.un.org

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EVERY DAYthe United Nations works to

tackle global challenges

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tackle global challengesand: