Hi there,
My name is Saido. I'm a 57-year-old woman who was born and raised in the northern region of Kenya. My family was part of a nomadic pastoral community that migrated in search of water and pasture for our livestock. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to get a formal education and acquire diverse skills because I spent most of my childhood herding our family's livestock. As I reached the end of my teenage years, I was initiated into young adulthood and shortly after, I got married to a man who was chosen by my family. Since then, my life has revolved around raising my children, taking care of my husband, and rearing our livestock. Our community and family depend entirely on livestock for our livelihood, but due to climate change-induced droughts, our economic situation has significantly worsened. We recently experienced a severe drought that wiped out all our livestock, leaving us in a tough financial situation. Currently, I work as a manual laborer in our community to make ends meet. I am kindly appealing for support from well-wishers in the form of capacity building on climate-smart agriculture, livestock restocking, and insurance premiums for the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). This support will enable my family and me to access improved food security, nutrition, and healthcare, which will significantly improve our quality of life.