Im Frühjahr 2009 gründete unser lokaler Projektpartner Martin Komongiro in Tamugh ein Selbsthilfekomitee und arbeitete mit diesem einen Entwicklungsplan für das Dorf aus.
Der Plan zur Verbesserung der Lebensbedingungen war geboren – allein es fehlte das Geld für die Realisierung von Maßnahmen, die umfangreichere finanzielle Investitionen benötigen.
In dieser Zeit arbeitete unser Freund Klaus Buchholz als Wasserbau-Ingenieur in Kitale, in 80 km Entfernung von Tamugh. Martin erfuhr von seinen Aktivitäten, reiste in das Büro von Klaus und bat ihn um Hilfe bei der Realisierung des Entwicklungsplans.
Klaus fuhr im Oktober 2009 nach Tamugh, entwickelte eine technische Lösung zum Bau eines kleinen Trinkwasserdamms und informierte uns in Deutschland über die Möglichkeit, dieses Projekt zu finanzieren.
Dies war die Geburtsstunde unseres Partnerschaftsprojektes für die Menschen in Tamugh, das in dieser Homepage beschrieben wird.
Die Aktivitäten unseres Projektes basieren auf dem Entwicklungsplan, den das Selbsthilfekomitee von Tamugh bereits ausgearbeitet hatte. Dabei fokussiert sich unser Partnerschaftsprojekt auf diejenigen Maßnahmen dieses Plans, die größere finanzielle Investitionen und ingenieurmäßige Begleitung erfordern.
Maßnahmen, die kulturelle Veränderungen beinhalten und ohne Hilfe von außen realisiert werden können, begleiten wir mit großem Interesse, koordinieren sie aber nicht. Hier geht es um Themen wie Abschaffung der Beschneidung von jungen Frauen, Abschottung des Dorfes gegen HIV oder Konfliktmanagement.
Nachfolgend finden Sie in englischer Sprache den Entwicklungsplan des Selbsthilfekomitees von Tamugh. Das Projekt ist unter dem Titel Kikonot EXODUS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (ECDO) als Non Governmental Organization (NGO) von der kenianischen Regierung registriert und anerkannt worden.
CONTACTS
P. O. BOX 653,
30600 KAPENGURIA
West Pokot District
Kenya
INTRODUCTION
We are a local Self-help project that was started in February 2009 and registered 23rd April 2009. Kikonot Project is located in West Pokot District, Tamugh location which is 500 kilometers from the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi. The name Kikonot is a Pokot local language meaning HOPE thus the overall goal is to empower the Community with hope full of resources, knowledge and skills which will lead them to self-sustainability.
The main protagonists of Kikonot project are the members of the Community hence the management is to monitor and evaluate the project goals.
CODE OF CONDUCT
To generate new knowledge leading to advancements in skills and working towards self-sustainability for every initiative the project will support.
OUR VISION
A community with focused destiny and improved living Standards leading to self-reliability.
OUR MISSION
Help the community to believe in their enormous potential and empower them fully in order to positively transform their lives.
OUR MOTTO
Success through discipline and determination.
ACTIVITIES
Since Kikonot Project is Community focused oriented, the project therefore engages in:
1. Create awareness on HIV/AIDS menace
HIV/AIDS has become a global disaster; hence our region is not exceptional, ignorance is a major contributing factor hence death rates are on increase. It is within this context that Kikonot project has taken the initiative of educating and making the members of the Community be informed of the menace, right from the causes and the overall moral behavior. While facilitating this campaign, the project uses teaching aids e.g. Videos, posters, loud Speakers in places where we address big gatherings. The awareness is also achieved through door to door approach where families are met and trained on how to combat with the disaster. The future plan is to put up a structure which could be used as a main tool of coordination and facilitation to major target groups such as students, youths, teachers and leaders of all levels.
2. To provide and avail water in the Community
Water is a basic need in the entire context of human life, the Community faces a big crisis on this need due to the fact that the region falls under arid and semi arid area where water is a great shortage due to short and unreliable rains. It is in this Situation that we realize hunger in the region, diseases caused by unclean environment and other related problems. The project has identified two main areas of intervention to enable the Community get water for human and animal consumption. The project proposes to construct a sub-surface dam across the streams which can collect water during the short rain season and be used on dry seasons, putting these dams on various streams helps in reducing the long distance in searching for water. The project also points out to avail water to the Community by drilling bore holes.
3. Health and environmental conservation awareness
Healthy people and conductive environment is a base on any development. It is in this philosophy that the project empowers the Community on the benefits of a healthy living. The project creates awareness on importance of having pit latrines in their homes, fencing their compounds, constructing animal sheds other than living with the animals such as goats, sheep in the same house especially at night and other health hazard related issues. The project also dreams to put up more dispensaries since there is only one in the region to attend to thousands of people.
4. Mobilizing resources to buy seeds suitable to the environment
During the short rain season, the project requests people of good will to support the Community and especially the vulnerable people e.g. the disable, the aged, the poor to be able to get seeds to plant in their farms. The basic reason underlying this charitable approach is to reduce deaths caused by hunger cases in most families. This disaster comes as a result of lack of seeds and untimely planting due to unavailability of seeds.
5. Improving the structures of the few schools in the region
In the current global world, education has become a basic necessity. It is in this reason that Kikonot project advocates and appeals for any possibility of building new schools and improving the structures of the few existing schools in the region. In Tamugh region, there is one main primary school and other four which has mud-build structures. The classes are few and many children learn under the tree.
6. Sponsorship for children
In Tamugh region, there are many children who are vulnerable such as orphans, disabled and those from poor families. It is the wish of these children to get adequate and quality education but their dreams many a times does not come true because they lack school fees, uniforms, books and other related learning materials. The project therefore advocates and explores possibilities of sponsoring such needy children.
7. Peace and reconciliation initiatives
Pokot region is occasionally affected by animosity caused by cattle rustling among the bordering communities like the Karamojong of Uganda and Turkana of Kenya. The Project therefore visions to extend its activities to bring peace by uniting and reconciling the fighting communities.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives for which the project is formed are:
• Improved life Standard in the region
• Empowering the members of the Community to realize their potentials in order to reduce hunger in their families
• Since the project is all about bringing ‚Hope‘ to the Community, we shall encourage and enhance hope to people with vulnerable situations in the area
• Mobilize resources for the implementation of Community activities
• Identify and empower person’s potentials in the locality
• The Community to rise up and be counted as equals in matters of education and other human basics, as any other part of the country
DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA THE PROJECT IS BASED
The area is one of the most disadvantaged in West Pokot District. The region’s population stands at approximately 15,000 people. This part of the region has ever experienced a lot of school drop-outs, its illiteracy rate is high, early marriage for girls and boys is also high due to limited progress in education. Poverty level is alarming since the area falls under Arid and Semi-Arid land, rain is unreliable hence no productivity for crops, water is a great problem in this area. Due to weather condition, farming is rare and if so little hope is foreseen therefore famine in most families is a routine. In a nut Shell life Standard is extremely low.
HOW TO REACH US
The project is in Rift valley Province, West Pokot District, Sook Division, Tamugh Location. To reach us, follow the Kenya-Sudan Highway past Kapenguria Town where the District headquarters is located. Reaching Chepareria Market, drive nearly one kilometer ahead then branch on the left through the murram road which will take about 2 hours drives to reach Tamugh Location.