Climate Resilience & Peace Building
In northern Kenya, climate change and conflict often go hand in hand – scarce water and pasture can fuel clashes between communities. Marsabit County has witnessed cycles of drought and inter-ethnic conflicts that set back development and threaten lives. Aliyeik Initiative addresses these intertwined challenges through programs that build climate resilience and promote peaceful coexistence. By helping communities manage natural resources sustainably and resolve disputes amicably, we create a foundation for long-term stability and prosperity.
Our climate resilience work focuses on helping communities prepare for and adapt to climate shocks. We support the formation of local Disaster Risk Reduction committees and train residents in drought preparedness. For example, we assist villages in developing drought contingency plans – identifying fallback water sources, setting up fodder banks for livestock, and establishing community grain reserves. We’ve facilitated the construction of sand dams and the drilling of community boreholes, improving water security for both people and animals. Alongside these efforts, we engage communities in environmental conservation: tree planting campaigns (with hardy indigenous species), restoration of degraded grazing lands, and promoting alternative energy (like solar lanterns and efficient stoves) to reduce deforestation. These activities not only buffer families against climate extremes but also create shared interests that bring people together.
On the peace front, Aliyeik Initiative works to heal divisions and prevent conflict. We organize peace dialogues and trainings under the principle of “Amani (Peace) begins with us.” Our Alternative to Violence Program (AVP) workshops bring youth from different ethnic groups to learn conflict resolution, communication, and leadership skills. We support the establishment of peace committees that include elders, women, and youth leaders – they mediate local disputes over water points, pasture, and other communal resources before tensions escalate. By integrating peace-building into resource management (often called natural resource peacebuilding), communities create agreements on sharing water and land fairly. For instance, pastoral clans in one area agreed on a grazing rotation schedule for a shared pasture, an agreement facilitated by our team in collaboration with the local administration. When people see that cooperation yields better outcomes (everyone’s livestock survives the dry season) there is less incentive for conflict.
One innovative project we champion is community-based eco-tourism. Marsabit is rich in natural beauty – from the forests of Mt. Marsabit to the sweeping Chalbi Desert. We help communities develop eco-tourism ventures that provide jobs and protect these landscapes. In Saku and North Horr sub-counties, we’ve worked with locals to create cultural eco-camps where visitors can experience Rendille and Borana cultural heritage, explore camel trekking routes, and watch wildlife, all guided by trained local youth. These eco-camps generate income that is shared across clans, reducing economic rivalry. Moreover, youth employed in tourism are less vulnerable to being drawn into conflict – they become ambassadors of peace and environment. One such venture, the “Chalbi Stars Eco Camp,” was formed by a group of 10 young people from two previously hostile communities. With Aliyeik’s support, they built small eco-friendly huts for tourists near a scenic oasis. Now they earn a living welcoming visitors and showing them desert wonders. “Working together at the camp made us friends,” says Guyo, a youth from one community about his new business partner Diba from the other community. “We realised we all just want a better life. There’s no need to fight when we can all benefit.” This project not only preserves the fragile environment but also has visibly broken down barriers between groups – proving that jobs and shared economic opportunities can pave the way for peace.
In partnership with local authorities, we launched the Dhamu Dhiq (Borana for “Early Rain”) project to improve drought preparedness. Through this project, community members have been trained to monitor weather patterns, track pasture conditions, and use mobile phones for an SMS-based early warning system. When indicators show a looming drought, alerts are sent out so herders can move livestock before pastures are exhausted, and families can store water and food. We also formed Pastoral Field Schools – groups of herders who learn climate-smart livestock practices like hay baling and herd diversification (e.g., keeping drought-hardy camels instead of only cattle). These measures have paid off: during the last drought, communities with early warning committees reported zero livestock deaths in their herds, while neighboring areas suffered significant losses. Moreover, because people had time to prepare, there was less scramble and tension at water points. Women like Habiba in Korr village credit the training: “We saved fodder when we got the warning. Our goats survived and we even shared grass with our neighbors. It brought us together instead of each one for themselves.” This kind of preparedness strengthens the social fabric, as sharing resources in tough times builds trust among clans.
Our peacebuilding efforts have reached hundreds of youth and community leaders. Over 600 young people have completed Aliyeik’s peace training programs, emerging as Peace Ambassadors in their villages. They go on to lead peer dialogues, advocate against tribalism, and spread messages of unity at community barazas (meetings). In 2022, our youth peace groups intervened in at least five local conflicts, helping to de-escalate tension after an incident of cattle theft. Through sports and art, we also unite communities – for example, our annual Peace Football Tournament sees mixed-ethnicity teams playing together, cheered on by everyone. Such events break down stereotypes and create friendships across community lines. Importantly, we include women and elders in peacebuilding, recognising their influence. We support women peace forums where women discuss issues like resource sharing and jointly advocate for peace to their husbands and sons. We also collaborate with institutions like the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and Interpeace to align grassroots efforts with broader peace initiatives. The result is a multi-layered approach: local problems solved by local people, with support from broader networks. Marsabit’s challenges are far from over, but the seeds of peace are being sown every day by ordinary people committed to a safer, more harmonious future – and Aliyeik Initiative stands proudly with them.
In the village of Badha Hurri, clashes between two communities were common every dry season. Last year, Aliyeik Initiative facilitated a series of dialogues led by trained youth mediators. Fatuma (from one community) and Halake (from the other) were two such youth who had been through our AVP peace training. They helped their elders draft a water-sharing agreement for the only borehole in the area. This year, for the first time in memory, the dry season passed with no violent incidents. Fatuma and Halake even organized joint camel races and a small market day at the borehole, turning a potential flashpoint into a place of cooperation and commerce. “We’ve shown our parents that friendship is more profitable than fighting,” Halake says. Their story illustrates how empowering the next generation with tools for peace can break historical cycles of conflict. In a region often defined by strife, such rays of hope keep us motivated to expand our climate resilience and peacebuilding work even further.