In the semi-arid region of West Pokot County, Kenya, access to water and nutritious food can make the difference between a family coping and a family thriving. Members of the Sengenge Mother-to-Mother Support Group in Lopsienikou Village, Suam Ward, are showing what is possible when women have the resources and support to build stronger livelihoods.
The group, made up of 15 women, each with children under five, began working with Action Against Hunger in 2024 after being identified through a referral from a local health facility amid rising cases of malnutrition and limited access to safe water. With funding from the Field Foundation, Action Against Hunger is implementing a Food Security and Livelihood Program that promotes climate-smart agriculture and supports vulnerable communities across West Pokot County.
Reliable Water, Healthier Families
Addressing water scarcity was Action Against Hunger’s first step to improving nutrition and livelihood outcomes in Lopsienikou Village. With solar power, an improved water system now provides safe and reliable water to 750 households, two nearby primary schools serving 641 students, and the Sengenge group’s kitchen garden.
Action Against Hunger also installed two 10,000-litre overhead water tanks and helped establish and train a water management committee to oversee the borehole’s daily operation and maintenance. Through token-operated taps, the committee collects small user fees to help cover operating costs and support the long-term sustainability of the water system. County health officials report that improved access to safe water has significantly reduced cases of waterborne diseases in the community.
Two 10,000-liter overhead water tanks installed to improve water access in West Pokot.
Growing Nutritious Food in a Changing Climate
With reliable water available, the women established a communal vegetable farm that serves both as a source of nutritious food and as a demonstration site for climate-smart agriculture.
West Pokot is heavily impacted by climate shocks, regularly experiencing prolonged droughts, flash floods, and soil degradation. Kacheliba Sub-County Agricultural Officer Jackson Chemur noted that, while the community has traditionally depended on pastoralism, climate-smart technologies and organic farming are helping rural women strengthen their livelihoods.
The Sengenge group grows kale, spinach, butternut and indigenous vegetables, providing diverse foods for their families and helping address malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women.
Each member maintains a vegetable bed and uses agroecological farming techniques such as sunken beds, drip irrigation, and animal manure to enrich the soil. These practices have helped the women produce enough vegetables for household consumption, with surplus available to sell within the community.
A Sengenge group members harvests peppers.
The initiative has benefited from technical support from the Tenderstem Foundation, including training on improved climate-smart agricultural practices, as well as access to high-quality seeds from Sakata Seeds, simultaneously improving crop productivity and quality.
The farm has become a learning hub for the wider community, with local residents visiting to learn about climate-smart farming techniques.
“Now we do not have to send our children far away to buy vegetables or struggle to find indigenous vegetables during the dry season,” said one of the group members.
The impact is reflected in household food security and nutrition. Program data shows that severe food insecurity coping strategies declined from 10% to 1.4%. At the same time, the proportion of women meeting minimum dietary diversity increased from 58% to 63%, while the proportion of children aged 6–23 months meeting minimum dietary diversity rose from 55% to 65%.
Diversifying Livelihoods and Building Income
Through a KES 100,000 (~ USD 772) seed capital grant, the group purchased goats for its members, so the women could strengthen their livelihoods with income diversification. The women received training in improved animal husbandry, including feeding, disease prevention, breeding management and livestock care.
The goats provide milk for household consumption, manure for crop production and an additional source of income when livestock are sold.
“We are now living healthier lives, and our children are getting better diets from the food we grow. Pregnant women are healthier and better understand the importance of proper nutrition. Through agri-nutrition training, we have learned how diversified farming improves our meals,” said a group member.
The Sengenge Group’s community garden has expanded into a diversified farm.
Women Investing in Their Own Future
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the women meet to manage the farm and participate in savings and lending through their Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA). This helps them build financial resilience and sustain investment in their farming activities.
Their progress is also influencing the wider community. Other community members, particularly women, have embraced saving and table banking after seeing the benefits of the group’s approach.
Action Against Hunger’s Food Security and Livelihood Officer, Masoud Mohamed, said the program also included training on poverty graduation models, with the aim of strengthening long-term livelihood capacity and addressing persistent poverty and fragile livelihoods.
“We trained the group on leadership, group dynamics, financial literacy, record keeping, and small business development. Some members were also taken on exchange programs to enhance learning and replication at the community level,” he said.
Targeted Investments Restore Hope
The transformation of Lopsienikou Village is a reminder that targeted investments can extend far beyond a single intervention. A solar-powered borehole can enable a vegetable garden. A garden can improve household diets and generate income. Training can turn new techniques into lasting knowledge. And when women organize, save, and share what they have learned, the benefits can reach an entire community.
The Sengenge group practices climate-smart agriculture to overcome food insecurity.
“Despite the challenges, this community has demonstrated that it is possible to produce food and restore hope in areas where many believed nothing could grow,” said Masoud.
