World Vision project in Voi, Kenya

http://www.infoasaid.org

Source: http://www.openstreetmap.org/

Source: http://www.openstreetmap.org/

Voi, Kenya

Situation Analysis

• Taita Taveta county is situated in the south-western part of Coast Province, Kenya and has a population of 284, 657 (KNBS, 2009).

• The main livelihoods are mixed farming (including livestock, dairy and crop production), casual waged labour and formal employment (Dienya et al., 2012).

• In 2011, a Long Rains Season Assessment conducted by the Kenyan Government’s Food Security Steering Group classified most areas of Taita Taveta as having deteriorated from the ‘Stressed Phase’, to the ‘Crisis Phase’, in which households experience significant food consumption gaps with acute malnutrition.

infoasaid for World Vision Voi project – September 2012

• At the time the pilot project was being designed, there were 119,000 people  (42% of the entire population of Taita Taveta) receiving food assistance under the Kenya Protracted Relief and Rehabilitation Operation (PRRO) sponsored by the World Food Programme and implemented by World Vision Kenya.

• The goal of the PRRO was to improve community resilience to the adverse effects of drought on local livelihoods, and it was implemented in three modes: General Food Distribution (GFD), Food for Assets (FFA), and Cash for Assets (CFA).

Situation Analysis

infoasaid for World Vision Voi project – September 2012

World Vision staff at a community meeting in Kishushe discussing problems faced in the Cash for Assets programme.

Photo: Miranda Eeles/infoasaid

• Slow, labour-intensive mechanisms for disseminating information to communities resulting in frequent delays in mobilising communities for food distributions;

• Limited community engagement focused more on extracting information on project outputs rather than listening to communities’ needs and concerns;

• Lack of a mass communication platform to explain changes made to the cash-for-asset program.

• Insufficient mechanisms for soliciting feedback from recipient communities on the delivery of PRRO services.

Communication Challenges

infoasaid for World Vision Voi project – September 2012

• Lack of access among communities to practical information to help them improve their food security and livelihoods.

• According to WVK Senior Management, although WVK had in place a number of feedback mechanisms - including a telephone hotline, community helpdesks and suggestion boxes - these were underutilised by communities.

Communication Challenges

infoasaid for World Vision Voi project – September 2012

• Overall goal is to improve the quality (relevance/appropriateness, coverage, efficiency and effectiveness) of the WVK PRRO in Taita-Taveta, Kenya.

• Two objectives:

1.Improve communication as a form of aid.

2.Improve communication as a means of improving the delivery of WVK’s food and cash assistance.

Proposed Project

infoasaid for World Vision Voi project – September 2012

• Two interventions:

1. A weekly interactive radio programme on Anguo FM targeting women aged 15 – 40.

2. The use of mobile telephony, coupled with FrontlineSMS software, to improve the effectiveness of two-way communication between World Vision and beneficiaries of food aid as well as to electronically gather data from the field.

Proposed Project

infoasaid for World Vision Voi project – September 2012

• Seven activities:

1. Sponsorship of a weekly interactive radio programme on Anguo FM.

2. Establishment of a FrontlineSMS information hub in the WVK Voi field office.

3. Use of FrontlineForms to collect data from PRRO Relief Committee (RC) focal points on programme outputs.

4. Distribution of java-enabled Nokia C1-01 mobile phones and Tough Stuff 1.5 watt solar charger kits to RC focal points in the 75 Food Distribution Points (FDPs) receiving either FFA, CFA or both.

5. Training for WVK staff and other stakeholders on communication with crisis-affected populations.

6. Appointment of a Local Communication Officer. 7. Capture of learnings from pilot project.

Proposed Project

Focus group discussions with community members in Mbale to explore their information needs.

Photo: Carole Chapelier/infoasaid

Mobile handsets and solar chargers were distributed to Relief Committee members.

Photo: Jean-Baptiste Lopez - http://www.fotozean.com/

Guests on the interactive radio show included World Vision staff and officials from relevant Government Ministries.

Photo: Jean-Baptiste Lopez - http://www.fotozean.com/

• The crisis-affected population of Taita Taveta, especially women, have increased access to practical information which will help them to improve their food security and livelihoods.

• World Vision's humanitarian assistance (PRRO) is more in line with and responsive to the needs and priorities of the crisis-affected population in Taita Taveta.

• Improved timeliness and efficiency of the collection of data on programme outputs by World Vision from Project Committees.

infoasaid for World Vision Voi project – September 2012

Expected Outcomes

Scoping trip

Procurement

infoasaid Training

Baseline Research Learning Review

Nov 2011-Jan 2012

1) What did each infoasaid response seek to do? What happened? What worked well, what didn’t work well, and why?2) How, if at all, did the communication project influence the overall humanitarian response?

January 2012 July 2012

Implementation

February 2012

infoasaid for World Vision Voi project – September 2012

Timeframe

http://www.infoasaid.org

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