Building resilient governance, markets and social systems

The aim of BRACED Mercy Corps is to build absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities of household and communities to be more resilient in the face of increasing climate risks, referred to as shocks and stresses. From northern Kenya to northern Uganda, these shocks and stresses include drought, increased aridity, flooding and flash floods, soil erosion, slashing and burning and massive deforestation, all leading to environmental degradation that reduces the local resource-base for vialble livelihoods.

BRACED Mercy Corps is a consortium led by Mercy Corps that includes TANGO Intl, Makerere University, University of Nairobi, Uganda Land Alliance, and Wajir South Development Association (WASDA). BRACED Mercy Corps is being implemented in northern Kenya (Wajir County) as well as northern Uganda (Karamoja). BRACED Mercy Corps’ three integrated thematic focus areas include:

• Natural Resource Management and Governance

In this output, Mercy Corps and our partners are working to enhance the linkages between communities and local governments to ensure that issues of land ownership, quality rangeland, water management and ecological systems are better planned through participatory processes, and that policy and budget planning are responsive to community needs in the face of increasing climate risks. Greater integration of the role of women in governance and capacity for women’s champions in governance is emphasized in this output. Community-led action planning will address the need to protect young girls as the most vulnerable to shocks and stresses. Through this output, both local and national governments will be engaged around issues of vulnerability and resilience of communities in Wajir and Karamoja.

• Market Systems Development

BRACED Mercy Corps’ work in market systems development is aimed at enhancing linkages and relationships between communities and private sector actors for better access to services, quality inputs, supplies and financial services. This output is primarily focused on livestock markets, climate-smart agriculture/ agro-ecology and clean energy products but will also emphasize female-dominated markets and linking women with financial services to market actors in areas such as small ruminants and poultry, dairy value chain and food processing and clean energy alternatives for domestic fuel needs.

• Gender Mainstreaming

This output addresses women, men, girls and boys through program activities that reduce inequality and build women and girls’ access to and control over social, economic and political assets. Male only platforms will convene men who are transitioning out of pastoralism and entering new economic arenas. Women will be linked to VSLAs and training on financial literacy and business skills development. Transformational change around gendered paradigms are addressed through after school clubs aimed at adolescent boys and girls, including safe spaces as a platform for resilience building through lifeskills development.