Kenya

Peace Winds partners with community groups, UN agencies, and the Kenyan government to help refugee and surrounding host communities access essential services and gain the skills they need to become self-reliant.

Since beginning work in Kenya in 2012, Peace Winds has supported refugees and local host communities in collaboration with local and international partners and a range of Kenyan government agencies. Programs span many areas of need, including water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), health, education, agriculture, the environment, housing, and logistics.

In recent years, an influx of refugees have arrived in Kenya after being forced to flee their homes in neighboring countries due to factors like war and prolonged drought. At the same time, humanitarian aid has decreased. Even refugees who reach camps safely face a lack of sufficient food, water, housing, sanitation infrastructure, education, medical care, and other basic rights.

Peace Winds is the lead organization for WASH services in Kenya’s two major refugee complexes: Kakuma and Dadaab. Our work has included building and maintaining borehole wells, pumps, and water distribution systems for 700,000+ residents of the camps and surrounding communities; constructing latrines and overseeing solid waste hauling and recycling programs; and partnering with local community based organizations to facilitate the distribution of hygiene products and provide hygiene education.

Where possible, Peace Winds complements WASH programs with support for menstrual health and hygiene. An often overlooked issue, a lack of menstrual products and education combined with harmful stigmas force many refugees to miss work or school during their periods. Comprehensive programs combine pad distribution with community-wide education, mentorship, and support for local supply chains to build a more empowering, enabling environment for wellness in menstrual health.

Our Impact

• Peace Winds leads WASH and other services for more than 700,000+ refugees, amnesty seekers, and local residents in and around Kakuma and Dadaab.
• In 2020, Peace Winds teamed up with SATO–which designs innovative, affordable sanitation and hygiene products–to launch a market-based sanitation program in Kakuma and nearby Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement. We established seven one-stop sanitation shops where residents can buy affordable products like toilet pans and stools, menstrual pads, child potties, cleaning supplies, and soap. We continue to support community-based organizations in running these.
• In 2021, Kalobeyei was officially declared open-defecation-free (ODF) – a major development milestone – thanks to the Peace Winds/SATO program. We continue to work toward ODF in other camps throughout Kenya.
• Drawing on a Japanese model, Peace Winds has taken on the ambitious task of building up a sustainable recycling system for the 184 tons of plastic, glass, and other garbage that Kakuma and Kalobeyei produce each day. A coalition of 10 community-based organizations has been built to manage the system.