Assessing the Role of Faith-Based Groups Towards Loss and Damage Funds in the Turkana County

Abstract

Human-caused climate change events are growing more frequent and severe as worldwide climatic variability grows. The Turkana community is one of Kenya's most vulnerable regions. Because of repeated severe droughts, the local community repeatedly faced increased loss and damage hazards. In the aftermath of severe drought occurrences, Faith-Based Groups (FBGs) tend to play a vital role in Turkana as the primary organizations assisting and first responders supporting local people. The present study aimed to clarify the role of FBG using questionnaires directed at either individual householder, small discussion groups, or key informants’ groups acting as intermediaries between residents and aid organizations. Data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews and questionnaires. The findings of this study confirm that 100% of study participants from the individual research questionnaire (IRQ) group stated that the Faith-Based Group's primary contribution to dealing with the effects of severe drought events is food support, subsequently followed by livestock medicine, as confirmed by 84.1% of respondents. Faith-based organizations also give meals to schools (statement of 77.3% of participants in IRQ group). Thus, FBGs play a crucial role in raising funds, increasing public awareness, and implementing programs to reduce the effects of severe droughts. However, shortcomings such as low financial capacity, organizational constraints, and reliance on third-party funding impede the effectiveness of these programs. Therefore, the study emphasizes the importance of improved cooperation among FBGs, but also with government organizations and other global stakeholders, as this would stabilize resilience initiatives and ensure a balanced distribution of resources to deal with the effects of severe droughts in Turkana. Understanding the importance of FBGs' support as first responders in dealing with the impact of loss and damage, as well as in raising funds to deal with these effects, will enable policymakers as well as practitioners to establish stronger strategies to cope with the consequences of extreme drought vulnerability and promote efforts to foster sustainable development in Turkana County.