Our Programs & Impact
AFOSC Kenya has developed expertise in several fields that aims at community empowerment and development through a number of programs it implements. AFOSC key sectors of intervention are Education, Democracy, Gender, Disaster Risks reduction, peace building and Advocacy with a focus on programming at the community and household level.
Democracy:
AFOSC supported Radio Programme for Women education in Wajir with the support of Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK). The project enabled women’s understanding of local and global issues that impacts on their day-to-day lives. These educational programs also increased women’s participation in the political process as the radio programs did cover awareness programs on constitutional review and devolution process. The project also registered a significant boost in women’s active involvement in the political and economic arena, as the women groups initially formed for the radio-listening sessions turn into self-help groups.
Education:
AFOSC has also been instrumental in conducting educational research jointly with UWEZO Kenya in Wajir and Mandera Counties, producing reports that has been widely utilized in the understanding and improvement of educational programs in Northern Kenya. Under a Communciation for Development (C4D) programme, supported by UNICEF, AFOSC is involved at the household level to better understand how families deal with Education related issues. AFOSC also implemented Alive project’ in Mandera and Wajir. Alive Project’ assesed four competences in the first stage which includes three life skills such as self-awareness, problem solving and collaboration and respect as a value on Alive assessments. Under this strand of education, AFOSC also partnered with Ministry of Education at the national and county level in learner monitoring and assessment as well as county dialogues on education. AFOSC is championing access to quality and equity in education agenda within the arid and semi-arid counties in Kenya
Disaster Management:
In collaboration with Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR International), AFOSC Kenya has implemented innovative disaster risk management programs. Under “Action at the Frontline” (AFL) programme, AFOSC Kenya developed sustainable and continuing cycles of action planning, action and reflection by local community groups to better understand local risks and develop jointly a response planning. Through these programs, AFOSC Kenya has gained a better understanding of local community and household dynamics that better enabled initiation of local projects with minimal support from external actors.
AFOSC also implemented Views from the frontline (VFL) in Mandera County. VFL is the largest independent global review of Disaster Risk reduction at the local level. It aims to strengthen the inclusion and collaboration between at-risk people, civil society and government in the design and implementation of policies and practices to reduce risks and strengthen resilience. This involved collecting data from identified vulnerable communities with respondents from Random Households survey, Community Consultations through focus Group Discussions, Civil Society surveys and Local Government surveys. The focus was on the risk profile, community inclusion by different actors and factors contributing to the inclusion of local actors in resilience building.
As part of the ‘Frontline’ project AFOSC carried out, a participatory action research was conducted in six counties of Kenya namely Mandera, Wajir, Samburu, Nairobi, Kwale and Kisumu. The survey aims at measuring community resilience, identifying actions and advocacy activities that can improve disaster management at local, regional and national levels. The survey also supports local action and learning in the domains of disaster risk reduction.
Peace building:
AFOSC programs on Civil Society engagement have also involved partnering with Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KMYA) to conduct Youth Engagement Programme in Constitutional Process, Youth Leadership and Empowerment and Peace Building.
Gender:
AFOSC’s and local partners conducts robust sensitization and awareness on cultural barriers facing women and adolescent girls in the County. As part of these efforts, AFOSC Kenya marks the “the 16 days of activism” annually and monitor gender-based violence at County level together with local actors.;