Devolution and Climate Change Adaptation in Western Kenya is a 3-year project supported by Sustainable Energy, Denmark. The Project kicked off in November 2015, and is based on the theory of change, thus seeking an increasingly qualified CSO sector that works closely with the most vulnerable groups (right-holders) and duty-bearers on climate change adaptation interventions. The project is solely an advocacy project that will seek to empower the vulnerable communities with relevant skills which will help them push for devolution and natural resources governance in Kisumu and Homabay counties
News and Updates
_____________________________________________________________________
Between the 23rd and 26th of July, 2019, DaCCA partners held a series of sensitization forums with community groups. These activities were carried out in Kisumu and Homabay Counties. During the sessions, champions who are utilizing energy efficient stoves, were selected and sensitized. Later on, the champions will be taken through an orientation on their roles
Subsequently, trainings were conducted for the community based trainers on the installation of the energy efficient cook stoves. The DaCCA team took them through the process of installing the stoves, the resources required and the firewood to be used

DaCCA Working Groups
_____________________________________________________________________
Climate Smart Agriculture Working Group
Led by the PCC member from Community Rehabilitation and Environmental Protection Programme (CREPP), the Climate Smart Agriculture Working Group team constitutes 4 members drawn from the DaCCA programme partners (CREPP and OSIENALA). The Working group seeks to advocate for increased support for water harvesting and irrigation using solar water pumps and therefore adaptation to climate change by promoting private-public partnerships and facilitating engagements between the county governments and the targeted communities.
The working group works in Ahero and Wangchieng’ wards of Kisumu and Homabay Counties, respectively.
Climate Smart Adaptive Enterprises/ Livelihoods Working Group
Led by the PCC member from Umande Trust, the Climate Smart Enterprises team constitutes 4 members drawn from the DaCCA Programme partners (Umande Trust, OSIENALA and CREPP). The Working group’s objectives are to:
Formulate CAAPs by the community ready for presentation at county budget sessions
Establish and document water status and quality as baseline information in the beach and the villages.
Lobbying and influencing the concerned leadership at the sub-county for buy-in to the developed CAAPs
The working group works in Wangchieng’ ward in Homabay County.
Formulate CAAPs by the community ready for presentation at county budget sessions
Establish and document water status and quality as baseline information in the beach and the villages.
Lobbying and influencing the concerned leadership at the sub-county for buy-in to the developed CAAPs
The working group works in Wangchieng’ ward in Homabay County.
Clean Energy Working Group
Led by the PCC member from OSIENALA- Friends of Lake Victoria, the Clean Energy Working Group constitutes 4 members drawn from the DaCCA programme partners (OSIENALA, SUSWATCH Kenya and CREPP). The Working Group’s aim is to scale-up the uptake of the energy efficient stoves in households as well as in schools as a best practice that will serve the role of showing evidence to communities as a sustainable way of cooking.
The specific objectives of the working group are:
To campaign for adoption of energy efficient stoves by households in four Wards in Kisumu and Homa Bay Counties (2) To campaign for adoption of energy efficient stoves by schools in four Wards in Kisumu and Homa Bay Counties (3) To improve access of energy efficient stoves by households and schools through funding by private sector and County governments (4) To facilitate development and adoption of curriculum for training energy efficient stove artisans by the technical and vocational Education and training (TVET) institutions within the two Counties (5) To review and popularize policies and legislations on renewable energy at the county level.
Citizen Participation Working Group
Led by the PCC Coordinator from SUSWATCH Kenya, the Public participation Working Group constitutes 4 members from the DaCCA programme partners (SUSWATCH Kenya, CREPP and Umande Trust). The working group seeks to:
Create awareness. generate discussion, gather views and document recommendations from citizens in the wards on the proposed budget
Interrogate the proposed ward specific projects and budgetary allocations per department
Assess how public participation has been done before and how to improve it
Establish ward committees around planning and budgeting, project monitoring and evaluation and social accountability
Use of Community Adaptation Action Planning
Create awareness. generate discussion, gather views and document recommendations from citizens in the wards on the proposed budget
Interrogate the proposed ward specific projects and budgetary allocations per department
Assess how public participation has been done before and how to improve it
Establish ward committees around planning and budgeting, project monitoring and evaluation and social accountability
Use of Community Adaptation Action Planning
DaCCA Highlights
_____________________________________________________________________

A Four-day training offered by Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation, University of Nairobi led by Prof. Shem Wandiga the Director of ICCA.

Kisumu County former Deputy Governor Ruth Odinga, being handed SusWatch IEC materials by the SusWatch Kenya Information officer.

A student showcasing an innovative project on inoculating the normal bean seed with bacteria from the soya bean to enable it to be drought resistant.

Takawiri Initiative stand - They process paper from water hyacinth and create paper products from the same.

DaCCA team met with the Kisumu County Governor, H.E Peter Anyang' Nyong'o to discuss climate change issues in Kisumu County.

Capacity building the members of Magnam Environmental Network in Kisumu on issues of advocacy on Natural Resource Management.

Engaging 35 technical officers from the County government of Kisumu to get input for the Kisumu County Climate Change Policy.

Training the community members from the 7 sub-counties in Kisumu County on the county budget process, in order for them to participate in subsequent budget hearing sessions.
DaCCA Scope
_____________________________________________________________________
Training & Capacity building for project partners, government officers & local CBOs
Mapping out of best practices models within communities and their dissemination,
Conducting of baseline studies, linking CSOs, Climate Change & Devolution
The main objective of the project is to have vulnerable populations in Kisumu and Homabay counties at risk of natural hazards caused by Climate Change increasingly supported by policies and programmes sponsored through devolution funds.
Project Partners
DaCCA Programme is implemented through a structure that includes a Project Coordinating Committee (PCC) and a monitoring arm. The Chair of the PCC is SusWatch Kenya and the Monitoring unit is VIRED International. The other organizations included in the project are Umande Trust,OSIENALA and CREP Program.

DaCCA Activities
_____________________________________________________________________

Adopt- a-stream, Ignite a beach
The project targets output 2 and 3 of the DaCCA Programme on resilient and sustainable community models are mapped, upscaled, disseminated. The CSO and local government offices are empowered to work together with climate change adaptation, human rights, and security issues respectively. The project aims to strengthen the link between WASH, Freshwater conservation and Climate Resilience addressing real sustainability challenges in Kisumu and Homabay. The expected outcome by December 2018, in cooperation with the youth and youth groups in initiatives on water, clean energy, sanitation, hygiene, and afforestation has been strengthened, and the Kisumu and Homabay youth groups have improved capacity and opportunities to be influential agents of change in their communities.

Climate-Smart Communities
The program focuses on Output 2 and 3 of the overall DaCCA Programme with the main aim of enhancing the communities capability to cope with current climate variability/risks as well as to increase efficient resource allocation to climate change adaptation strategies. In addition, the project will also incorporate a sustainable financial model for community solar systems, in which the community members will be mobilized and organized to form and join a SACCO. The SACCO will be capacity built and facilitated to acquire the SHS units from MKOPA solar and distribute them to community members, organized into clusters. The main area of focus includes; Integrated water management, sustainable use, and management of natural resources, food insecurity, and advocacy.

Enhancing Climate Resilience
This project targets nine groups in Kakola and Kochogo locations in Ahero ward, in Nyando sub-county. Three groups have also been selected from Wancieng ward in Rachuonyo North sub-county. The main aim of this project is to create awareness, inform and educate the targeted communities on climate change and the impacts on livelihood and natural resources. Promote and upscale uptake of climate change adaption technologies and practices through appropriate community-based adaptation and resilience building approaches.Build and sustain collaboration, partnership and networking with the targeted communities and the relevant stakeholders to ensure a collective ownership and sustainability of all climate change adaptation interventions.

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO TALK SHOW
- Importance of our Wetlands in relation to World Wetlands Day
- Refresher on the DaCCA program
- Climate change policy formation in HomaBay and Kisumu Counties
- Sustainable best practice models for grass root communities
- Impacts of climate change on the livelihoods of communities living in the Lake Vitoria Basin
- Advocacy work in Kisumu and Homabay Counties
- Introduction of the DaCCA Sacco and importance of COSALOs
- Appropriate climate change technologies
- Adoption of dryland farming in Western Kenya
- WASH in both rural and urban setup