BLOG POST 9: COPING WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHOCKS AND STRESSES IN THARAKA

BLOG POST 9:  COPING WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHOCKS AND STRESSES IN THARAKA

This blog post identifies common actions of local individuals and households and institutions to cope with common shocks and droughts that affect them. What do they do, for example when faced with food shortage at household level due to severe drought? What short-term and long-term coping strategies do they use? Do men and women and the different types of households use similar or different coping mechanisms? The blog seeks to answer the following questions: How do local individuals, households, and institutions cope with shocks and stresses? Why do local individuals, households, and institutions utilize these coping strategies? How is the level of knowledge among local households regarding organizations and institutions that can support them to mitigate the effects of drought and other shocks and stresses?

Coping with climate-related shocks and stresses (drought and food shortages)

Traditional / old practices

1)         Coping with drought through saving food to be eaten in dry season (which included traditional foods of vegetables and pumpkins).

2)         Circumcision was withheld till there was sign of harvest.

3)         People went to look for food to increase it even it was there. Livestockwas taken to distance places for pasture and water.

4)         People coped with pests and diseases by preparing smoke (toogi) using flesh green grass, cow/goat dung or use caster (mbariki).

5)         Selling small stocks, which include goats and chicken before selling cattle as last resort.

6)         The village elders had a technique of coping with droughts by using the term “Nkoma Ikwaaria ciauga icio igutanaa” translated to mean devils have spoken, no circumcision” because it was believed that if there will be any circumcision done, those circumcised will die. But this was to safeguard the food because there is no enough food in their homesteads. If the number of uncircumcised boys were 300, the elders would slash the number to a smaller group which may be manageable by the community and may not bring of food shortages.

7)         Selling of the livestock and poultry and selling pieces of land when there are severe droughts. Natural fruits when the droughts became severe.

8)         Migration to other places

9)         Begging within and outside Tharaka

Current practices

1)         Saving food to be eaten in dry season

2)         Taking livestock to distance places for pasture and water.

3)         Shunning wasteful, “dead end” social events e.g. pre-weddings.

4)         Selling of small stocks, which include goats and chicken before selling cattle as last resort.

5)         Menial labour especially in more endowed counties (migration) e.g. in Timau and Nanyuki.

6)         Farming along the riverbanks during the dry seasons

7)         Selling of the livestock and poultry

8)         Selling pieces of land when there are severe droughts.

9)         Migration to other places  by individuals and whole families

10)     Begging within and outside Tharaka

11)     Sending children to well off relatives to “weather the storm”

12)     Remittances, gifts and other forms of assistance from households members, friends and relatives

13)     Burning and selling of charcoal

14)     Sand harvesting

15)     Marrying off daughters

16)     Demanding payment of part of dowry from in-laws 

Coping with other types of shocks and stresses

Conflicts and violence: Fighting back, moving out of the disputed areas, making peace, persevering

Banditry: Moving out of the affecting areas, seeking assistance from the Kenya wildlife service to intervene, petitioning local leaders to intervene

Services provision gaps: Persevering, seeking service in private institutions, petitioning local leaders to intervene

Bad governance (corruption and impunity): Doing nothing/joining in the practice, persevering

Other shocks: taking individual decisions and actions to mitigate effects of the shock or stress

Support systems for coping with common shocks and stresses

Further analysis concerning this sub-theme is underway. More insights will emerge from the analysis of household interviews. In the meantime, the following insights emerge. Support systems to cope with shocks and stresses: The available support systems include family, relief food from the government and non-profit sectors, cash for assets from the government and NGOs, and resilience building programs being promoted by FAO, UTaM and NDMA.There is also relief from local churches, FBOs and well-wishers. Tharaka people in the diaspora respond in big number to assist their brothers and sisters when there is an emergency. School Children Programmes like the feeding programme “plate for plate” by IAS, help keep the children in school and reduce the burden of parents in providing lunch. They are able to look for only one meal and most preferably super. Educational support by Compassion International: the household with beneficiary gets other benefits like “water tanks” relief food during food shortage seasons. Redcross has been helping the community with food vouchers. The whole ideas was sensitizing them with best methods of farming and environmental conservation. They would dig benches and terraces in their farms and in turn get paid by food vouchers in the end of the month. Caritas Meru, a Faith-based Organization has been providing “piped” clean water in many areas where people could not access clean water at all. They also instilled programmes like “zai-pits” planting methods which aimed at increasing the farm productivity. By the end Caritas would give food and vouchers or direct deposits of cash in the beneficiary’saccounts. International Aid Services give relief food in times of drought.

Gender-based coping strategies

Women cope with stress better as they work harder than men. Boys are better than girls as they run to where there is safety (food or security). Girls cope with stresses and shocks more than boys as they stronger. They tolerate hard situations like being a maid who works hard in difficult situations. According to youth FGD in Gakurungu, ladies suffer hunger most as being in the kitchen they serve everything to the children and men and go without food, Gakurungu Youth FGD.

Level of knowledge among local households regarding organizations and institutions that can support them to mitigate the effects of drought and other shocks and stresses

Further analysis concerning this sub-theme is underway. More insights will emerge from the analysis of household interviews. In the meantime, the following insights emerge. Local people are not that knowledgeable or aware of organizations and institutions that can support them to mitigate the effects of drought and other shocks and disasters. Most people know of government ministries, department and agencies, which do not do much to support them mitigate the effects of drought and other risks. The common mentioned non-profit organizations which have operated in select areas are Plan International, Unbound, ChildFund, Shepherds of Life, International Aid Services, FAO, Caritas and Compassion International. Community members mostly run to the “chief’s office” when faced with difficulties.