As a response to the economic hardship that COVID-19 has brought, ALARM in partnership with the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) has reached out to vulnerable women in Kilifi County to create alternative income-generating activities that will improve food security and strengthen agri-business. The aim of the Promoting Sustainable Livelihood for Women in Kilifi County project is to build the capacity of the women in animal husbandry, kitchen gardening, group management, and trauma awareness and recovery. This project has a pass-it-forward approach in which each woman is expected to train and mentor another vulnerable woman within the community and give them an offspring once their goats reproduce.
In 2020, ALARM Kenya impacted 224 households through the provision of goats and because of this project’s great impact, ALARM is implementing a scale-up of this project. ALARM Kenya has recruited 60 beneficiaries who include widows, disabled women, caregivers of disabled children, pastor’s wives, and other vulnerable community members. The duration of this project is from April 2021 – March 2022. In July, ALARM conducted a training in animal husbandry that focused specifically on training the women in goat management. In addition to the animal husbandry training, these women formed 2 groups that will serve to provide a space to offer eachother psycho-social support. As ALARM works alongside these women, they are given both emotional support and practical tools to overcome their economic hardship as they work alongside one another and the ALARM staff.