Summary

Kalil, a father of eight children, lives in a very remote rural village in the Somali region of Ethiopia. His family follows an agropastoral lifestyle, relying on both small-scale farming and livestock rearing. Unfortunately, recurring droughts have led to water and pasture shortages that have resulted in reduced crop yields and livestock productivity. Accordingly, the family faces food insecurity and deterioration into extreme poverty.

As part of the climate-smart component of the Irish Aid project, Save the Children provided Kalil and other families with improved and fast-maturing crop seedlings. Kalil also received an upgraded modern beehive, which he recently populated with a bee colony. He anticipates harvesting higher-quality and more abundant honey compared to what he used to collect from the old, traditional beehives.

Kalil’s Story in his own words (quotes)

“My name is Kalil, and I am 50 years old with eight children. I have been a farmer all my life, engaging in small-scale farming and raising animals that my family and I rely on for our livelihood. During good rainy seasons, I cultivate a variety of crops including sorghum, maize, and barley. Additionally, I rear livestock.  Continuous drought and failed rains in my area have reduced farming and livestock yields significantly. As a result, we often experience food and water shortages for both our livestock and ourselves.

“Before, I had limited knowledge and understanding about beekeeping and its management. We followed the practices of our grandparents and those who came before them, relying on traditional methods and using conventional beehives. These methods proved ineffective, resulting in minimal yield.”

“A few months ago, Save the Children provided me with an improved, and fast-maturing maize seedling. I planted it on my farmland during the last rainy season, and it germinated successfully. Sadly, due to the cessation of rain, the crop failed. I worry that without rain soon, the maize will completely wither and become irreparably damaged. In our area, we lack sufficient water for irrigation, so we depend solely on rainfall.”

“In addition to the seedlings we received, Save the Children also provided us with an upgraded, modern beehive. I installed it in my backyard and populated it with a bee colony that is thriving. Insha’Allah, we will soon be able to harvest high-quality, abundant honey—more than what we used to collect from our old and traditional beehives.” 

“The main issue we currently face is the lack of rain and water for our farms and livestock. Our family is experiencing critical food shortages more often because of increasingly frequent droughts brought on by climate change. We hope  for support to build small-scale irrigation in our area  so we can irrigate our farmlands and possibly have two or three harvests a year. We hope to reduce our reliance on rainfall.”

“We sincerely appreciate Save the Children and its staff for their ongoing support. Without their assistance, we wouldn’t have come this far. We hope they will continue supporting us in the areas I mentioned. Building a small-scale irrigation facility would be immensely helpful towards enabling us to become self-sufficient and support our family and others.”

What the climate smart component of Gender Equality Project that Save the Children run is doing for Kalil and others like him in the village?

Save the Children’s Gender Equality Program (GEP) has embarked on a transformative journey with the introduction of the ‘Climate-Smart Component.’ This pioneering initiative is set in motion through the provision of improved vegetable and crop seeds, hybrid goats, egg-laying chickens, and beehives. The goal is to build household resilience and empower women to withstand shocks from climate-related crises.

Through its climate-smart component, Save the Children has reached a total of 395 households which is approximately over 2,300 people.  Most of these are female headed households in remote rural areas of the Somali region. By providing improved vegetable seedlings, fast-maturing crop seeds, hybrid goats, chickens, and beehives, families can earn extra income, support their households, and provide their children with homegrown nutritious meals.