On Monday, May 30, 2022, several climate change adaptation projects were launched in Taita Taveta County, marking a significant step towards enhancing the livelihoods of local communities.
The function, presided over by Taita Taveta Member of Parliament Naomi Shaban and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Kenya) CEO Mohamed Awer, aimed to promote climate resilience and coexistence with wildlife.
Among the projects launched were the Ndilidau dispensary, Salaita borehole, and Lumi borehole, all of which are solar-powered.
The Ndilidau dispensary, which serves as a maternity wing and outpatient facility, has seen a significant reduction in costs since its solarization. Prior to this, the facility incurred massive costs, with bills sometimes reaching up to Ksh 15,000 in a month to operate the sterilization machine.
With the incorporation of solar panels, the bills have since been reduced to less than Ksh 4,000, allowing the management to allocate resources to urgent needs.
The dispensary is now able to sterilize its equipment in-house, efficiently using its resuscitaire infant incubator, suction machine, and oxygen machine.
The two solar-powered boreholes have improved the communities' lives by reducing human-wildlife conflict situations, particularly during the dry season.
The Tsavo Conservation area, being a semi-arid region with limited water resources, has benefited from the boreholes, which provide water for domestic use, animal care, and small-scale irrigation.
The projects were funded in partnership with WWF-Kenya and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.
