The Mandera Cluster, spanning Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, is one of eastern Africa’s most climate-stressed and conflict-prone regions. Communities in the area face recurrent droughts, limited pasture, animal disease outbreaks, and cross-border conflicts, which continually threaten livelihoods and stability. Despite numerous interventions, sustaining long-term resilience remains difficult, as frequent shocks erode the gains achieved in pastoralist development and community support.
To address these challenges, three European Union-funded programmes have piloted the “Village Model” approach, which seeks to align interventions, resources, and expertise for greater impact. The approach emphasizes joint planning, sequencing, and layering of activities to strengthen community resilience. The programmes involved are the Pastoralism and Livestock Adaptation to Climate Change in Eastern Africa (PLACE) implemented by FAO, Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA NABAD) led by the Danish Refugee Council, and DARIS WACAN implemented by the International Organization for Migration. By combining their expertise, the programmes aim to deliver more sustainable results for communities through collaboration rather than isolated efforts.
The Village Model approach ensures that community support is coordinated and complementary, minimizing duplication and fostering synergies. Pilot villages in each country, selected for their cross-border dynamics, will see joint activities focusing on animal health, rangeland management, fodder production, market access, and peacebuilding. Regular monthly meetings among PLACE, BORESHA NABAD, and DARIS WACAN teams allow for alignment on field implementation, sharing lessons learned, and adapting guidance to local contexts. This structure also helps local authorities maintain a comprehensive overview of ongoing activities, enhancing transparency and efficiency.
Financial and technical contributions under the Village Model demonstrate tangible collaboration. The PLACE Programme has allocated USD 700,000 to scale up joint activities, supporting fodder production, flood control, vaccination campaigns, animal health surveillance, and community-led rangeland management. In Kenya’s Bur Abor village, PLACE and BORESHA NABAD are collaborating on flood control dyke extensions, while DARIS WACAN is installing a solar-powered water system. In Somalia’s Bula Main village, Daris Wacan is rehabilitating farmland, BORESHA NABAD is supplying seeds and training, and PLACE is providing fodder processing facilities. Similar coordinated interventions are being implemented in Ethiopia’s Shambel and Wadlahubo villages.
This integrated Village Model approach illustrates how EU-funded programmes can work together to tackle the interconnected challenges of climate change, conflict, and livelihoods in the East and Horn of Africa. By fostering strategic collaboration among implementing partners, the model not only strengthens resilience in the Mandera Cluster but also offers a replicable framework for coordinated development and resilience-building across the region.
