Jillo Huka lives in Elleborr village in Marsabit County, one of the villages in Northern Kenya that was adversely affected by the worst drought ever witnessed in decades. Despite having received little rainfall in the last months, the impacts of the drought can still be felt to date in this region.

Jillo, a widow and mother of nine, once relied on the humble income derived from her cows and shoats to provide for her family’s needs and her children’s school fees. However, like an unrelenting force of nature, drought struck mercilessly, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Tragically, Jillo’s 20 cows perished, and only 13 out of her 50 shoats managed to survive. This was a catastrophic blow in Elleborr, where livelihoods are intricately intertwined with livestock. Desperation and depression gripped Jillo as she could not feed her children or meet their educational expenses.

However, hope was on the horizon, brought forth by the Strategies for Northern Development (SND) through the Kenya Cash Consortium (KCC). This program aimed to support vulnerable communities in Marsabit to overcome the hardships caused by the prolonged effects of drought.

For Jillo, relief came in the form of EUR 57 per month for three critical months. With this financial support, she could finally provide nutritious meals for her children, clear a few debts she had accumulated during and after the drought, and even pay their school fees.

But her story doesn’t end there. Fueled by determination and a desire to secure a better future for her family, she decided to invest some of the funds wisely. “Knowing the support would end after three months, I decided to save some money, especially for food, and start a small shop to help sustain my children and me,” she shares with a gleam of hope in her eyes. “This is because I can take food from the shop for my family and still sell some to earn a living. I don’t get a lot, but it is an alternative source of livelihood,” she adds.

Jillo’s gratitude knows no bounds as she reflects on her transformation. “Thank you so much, SND and partners. You came at the right time; I don’t know how we would have survived without you,” she exclaims with a deep sense of appreciation in her voice.

Her remarkable journey is not isolated as she is among the 452 households that benefited from the Kenya Cash Consortium, collectively receiving EUR 70,000 in three months. This project, generously funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by SND in partnership with Acted and KCC partners, represents hope in Marsabit County.