Our Location

Introduction

North Gem Community Development Program is a community-based organization. We are situated along the Kisumu – Busia road at White House in Mutumbu market centre within Malanga sub-location, North Gem Location, Yala Division in Siaya County.

The Program is currently funded by DORCAS AID Kenya. Our work focuses on three key thematic areas of community development including:

Health (including HIV/AIDS, Maternal and Child Health, Malaria control and jigger eradication);
Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH);
Creating Sustainable Livelihoods.

Built into these projects are also components of disaster risk reduction (DRR), and advocacy and sponsorship for orphaned and vulnerable children in the community.

Organization

The Program is administered through Project Management Committees (PMCs) with decision-making vested in the Executive Board. Individual projects feature a full complement of staff required to administer the daily affairs of the Program with oversight vested in the Projects Coordinator and other administrative staff.

Program Brief

The program currently implements the Gem Integrated Community Development Project which is organized under four departments, namely:

HIV/AIDS
Water and Sanitation
Livelihoods
Maternal & Neonatal Child Health

Previously, the Program implemented the WASH and HIV/AIDS as stand-alone projects. In addition to these, there was also the youth-focussed Stop Aids Now! Project and the Gem Jigger Eradication Project which have since been phased out. WASH and HIV/AIDS have since been incorporated as departments under the Integrated Community Development Project.

Siaya County Water and Sanitation Project

Project title:	Siaya County water and sanitation Project; Water revenues as a driver for community development
Partnership	Organisation name	Type		Legally based in
Lead partner	Dorcas Aid International	NGO		Netherlands
Partner	Maji Milele	Company		Kenya
Partner	SiayaCounty Government	Public		Kenya
Project location	Kenya, Siaya
Project Theme	Sustainable access to clean drinking water and sanitation
Project Purpose
Project key outcomes and outputs	2.1 Inclusive sustainable access to sufficient, clean and nearby water for 108.500 people by the end of 2020 2.2 7 Publicly Owned Privately Managed water schemes are well functioning and sustainable by the end of 2020 2.3 Scaling up within the project schemes and/or to new schemes in Siaya County by the end of 2022 2.6 Other county governments and actors are informed and aware of the best practices and the PPP based model of this project by the end of 2022 3.1 Sustaining ODF communities (70% of schools and communities; 86.800 people) and improved sanitation at HH level (97.650 people, 90%) in communities served by the 7 water schemes, by the end of 2022 3.2 Private sector, through 118 (female) entrepreneurs offering demanded sanitation and hygiene products by the end of 2020 3.3 Improved gender equality at community and household level in communities served by the 7 water schemes, by the end of 2022
Project summary	Rural water schemes in Siaya are typically managed by community water committees. However, due to poor management structures, limited capacities, challenges with revenue collection and lack of accountability, many schemes are unsustainable. As a result, only 36% of the Siaya population uses improved sources of water. This project will address the above by adopting a “Public Ownership, Private management’’ (POPM) model through a Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) approach encompassing Dorcas, Maji Milele and the County Government of Siaya. The objective of this project is to prove that this management model will lead to sustainable water supply, improved service levels and will turn water schemes currently not commercially viable into profitable schemes. Other distinguishing elements of this project include use of prepaid meters (to improve revenue collection); use of loyalty points (Maji Osafi) to provide sanitation and hygiene products and creating open defecation free zones through the use of Community-Led Total Sanitation approach. Additionally, the project will promote gender equality (through increasing opportunities for women to participate in leadership, decision-making and entrepreneurship ventures) as well as inclusiveness of the poor and vulnerable through the provision of free water and community safety nets. In order to achieve project outputs and outcomes, this PPP will be defined through a Service Provision Agreement with time-bound Key Performance Indicators, Cooperation Agreement and Partnership Agreement. The 3 main partners will form a Project Management Committee responsible for oversight and supervision. At the community level, the PPP will link with water Scheme Supervisory Boards (SSBs) that represent the respective communities. This project will enable 108,500 people to have access to clean water and sanitation, including gender equality. It is envisioned that this model will be scaled up in Siaya as well as other counties and has the potential to attract external financing.
Project duration	Start date: 1-7-2017		Final date: 30-12-2022
Project budget	€ 2.965.000		Requested subsidy from RVO	€ 1.482.500

Future for the Children | Project 3125

The Future For The Children project engages 130 orphaned and vulnerable children from Gem sub-county who are enrolled in the project to be trained on life skills, career development, financial literacy and reproductive health among others. They are also occasionally supported with school requirements (school uniforms and fees) depending on their needs. In addition to this, their guardians and parents are trained on child upbringing, child rights and economic empowerment so that they become self-reliant.

Project 5441

This is a pilot project whose aim is to assess and develop best practices in indigenous chicken production. Its main objectives are:

To increase household income from indigenous chicken farming through strengthened farmers capacity to collectively link to market for inputs and the sale of poultry and poultry products.
To increase indigenous chicken production and productivity through improved commercially focused poultry management techniques and community organization.

Integrated Community Development Project

This project focuses on the following interventions:

Improved and sustainable food security in the target community which is achieved through training farmers, supporting them with farm inputs, dairy goats, improved breeds of chicken and to start fish farming.
Improved income among target community households through training and establishment of self-help groups, producer groups and provision of grants.
Improved access to safe water through the construction of shallow wells, protection of springs, installation of tanks in Schools and households, sensitization of the community on safe water handling and training water committees & Artisans.
Improved sanitation and hygiene through training community resource persons such as Teachers and Community health workers, supporting schools to install sanitation facilities, hand washing kits and supporting hygiene programs.
Improved Maternal, neonatal and child health outcomes through training health care providers and community resource persons on (Infant and young child feeding, Maternal, Neonatal and child health, prevention Mother to child transmission & focused antenatal care. Traditional birth attendants have also been trained on income-generating activities and supported to initiate them. Community outreaches on immunization of under 5 years old and pregnant mothers are also being conducted. Four health centres have already been equipped with delivery equipment. In addition, 33 men have also be trained on Maternal neonatal and child health.
Improved access for Malaria care and prevention. This is done through Malaria awareness creation campaigns in the community and Schools, Training community health workers on Malaria prevention, purchase and distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and purchase of Microscopes for selected health facilities.

HIV/AIDS

ICDP places emphasis on the following interventions:

Awareness creation on HIV/ AIDS prevention and control in the target community.
Care and support for the infected and affected which includes medical support, food packs, Educational support for orphans and vulnerable children, Jigger treatment, sensitization and improved shelter.
Lobby and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children to access treatment and bursaries from local government institutions. Training on succession, property and human rights are also conducted.
Improved livelihoods for people living with HIV and OVC guardians. This involves the provision of grants to start and expand businesses and of farm inputs to ensure better food production.

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene [WASH]

The key interventions in this department include:

Improved access to safe and sustainable clean water through provision of water tanks to Primary schools to enhance rainwater harvesting, Construction of shallow wells and protection of springs.
This project also ensures access to improved sanitation through the construction of latrines for primary schools.
Improved hygiene behaviour in which the community-led total sanitation approach is used to encourage the target community to construct their own latrines using locally available materials, to put up tippy taps and to take care of their environment.
Improved environmental care and natural resource management in this, the target community is encouraged to plant trees and to protect water catchment areas.

Maternal & Neonatal Child Health Project [MNCH]

The objectives of the department are improved maternal and child health outcomes; improved nutrition status of mothers, new-born and children under-five years by preventive actions; improved family planning uptake and sexual reproductive health outcomes; and strengthening the capacity of the health-care delivery system

This is achieved through:

Capacity building health workers.
Support health facilities to conduct child health Interventions (immunization, IMCI and growth monitoring).
Support health facilities to provide quality MCH, nutrition and FP services.
Support CHWs to promote high impact nutrition interventions; Exclusive Breastfeeding and optimal complementary feeding for infants, Improved hygiene practices including hand washing.
Train teachers at ECD centres on growth monitoring and personal hygiene.
Support CBOs to sensitize men and women, on reproductive health rights and family planning.
Promote access to youth-friendly reproductive health services.
Support health facilities to plan and manage their family planning commodities stock.
Train and equip the implementation of the community health strategy.
Train health facility management committees.
Advocacy actions at district, county or national level on issues related to mother and child health, nutrition and family planning, including but not limited to increased HRH availability in remote areas, salt iodisation, and food fortification.
Support income-generating activities for CHWs.