By Nzuki Waita, Operations Manager

Located in arid northeast Kenya, the Dertu Millennium Village exemplifies the challenges of extreme poverty such as lack of potable water, food insecurity, high disease burden, poor education system and limited access to roads, electricity and economic opportunity. However, unlike the other Millennium Villages, Dertu consists largely of pastoralists who rely heavily on their livestock for both food and income, half of whom are nomadic. The distinctiveness of this community within the project requires solutions that are specifically adapted to its environment and traditional way of life.

When the project was first launched in 2006, the main priorities were to help secure the food supply and ensure the health of the inhabitants and their livestock. Agricultural innovations were introduced such as drought-tolerant crop farming and rainwater harvesting. To fight disease, bed nets were distributed on a large scale and widespread vaccinations were offered to both people and cattle. Infrastructure and institution building followed to further advance conditions in the community. By constructing dormitories, offering school meals and supplying study materials, the project encouraged school enrollment. Monthly health outreach clinics within the nomadic community helped to reduce common illnesses like malaria, snakebites and medical problems related to childbirth.

The introduction of cell phone communications has also had a transformative effect on the livelihood of this remote community. Traditionally, pastoralists had little knowledge of the livestock trade and sold cattle at highly undervalued prices. In partnership with Ericsson, the creation of telecommunications infrastructure has increased access to information and made the market more efficient and profitable. Price discovery and the testing of markets is now common practice and pastoralists no longer have to make futile travels to the villages since information is only one phone call away.

Through partnerships with regional and national governments, NGOs and corporations, opportunities are continuing to expand for the Dertu community. In addition to sponsoring the telecommunications infrastructure project, Ericsson has introduced internet connectivity to schools. As a result, a world of information is now accessible on laptops donated by the Sony Corporation. Through partnership with regional government authorities, biogas generation in the cluster is also underway. The project has also constructed a 100km road in partnership with the Kenyan government which brings the majority of traffic in northern Kenya through once remote Dertu.