Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance: Giving Hope in Mandera County

Abdirashid Haji Bulle, aged 57, is a father of seven children from Kheira Ali village in Lafey sub-county, Mandera County. This settlement is home to families displaced from their homesteads due to the recent drought.  Abdirashid was a pastoralist in the outskirts of Kheira Ali village before the drought struck. Like many other he lost all his livestock, erasing his primary source of income and plunging his family into poverty. The impact of the drought forced him to be displaced from his community.  He moved to Kheira Ali village with his children having lost everything and started working as a casual laborer but struggled to raise his children and send them to school. As the sole provider for his family, he was depressed, and life became difficult for the family as he could not afford to buy food for his children.

However, Abdirashid’s life took a positive turn when he became one of the many vulnerable beneficiaries selected to benefit from a multi-purpose cash assistance programme implemented by IOM in partnership with the Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance (RACIDA).

The impact of the cash assistance has been profound as he used the money to feed his children and pay accumulated debt. He says he was so grateful and content, as it pulled them out of poverty.

The multi-purpose cash assistance programme is playing a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of drought on the most affected communities in Mandera County. The programme is helping communities meet their basic needs, such as food and other essential household items.

This initiative is funded by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and implemented by IOM in partnership with the Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance (RACIDA).