Food Security through Camel Meat Hygiene (Project CAMEH)

Background

The town of Isiolo is located in the central eastern region of Kenya about a 4 hours drive from Nairobi. The semi-arid climate and the subsequent droughts challenge the communities. Because of the climate change, the droughts have been more frequent, longer and more intense. This results in tension between the communities in their search for water and pastures needed for their animals. Another rising threat is the Al-Shabaab terrorists coming from Somalia and creating even more instability.

Project

VSF-Suisse carries out a project that helps building up the resilience of pastoral communities and improves their food security. Camel herding is increasingly seen as a means of improving food security and resilience because of the animal’s capacity to resist to droughts. So far the potential of camel production has been plagued by poor infrastructure, distant markets and hygiene problems.

The CAMEH-Project targets over 40 beneficiaries, who are trained on practices like hygienic slaughtering-procedures, meat inspection cleanliness, storage, transportation and marketing.

Furthermore necessary facilities will be provided, such as the provision of a motor bike with a meat box for the transportation of meat, as well as knives, saws, and protective clothing for all beneficiaries. . This project aims to improve meat hygiene, develops marketing techniques and consequently enables a higher economic exploitation of the camel meat value chain CAMEH provides key skills and infrastructure to pastoralists in Isiolo by complementing ongoing initiatives in the region, reducing the impact of climate change and the displacement of people and tensions between communities.