Challenges: Organizational Development and Disaster Management

Here in Kenya, I have been assigned to work with a local organization. This differs from my time in Mali, where I was simply assigned to a village. There, it was necessary to assess the needs of the village on my own, compare them to the desires and resources of the villagers, and then work together with whomever was motivated and able within the community on various small-scale projects to address those needs.

I still feel that it is important for me to travel around the district, meet with the local people, in order both to understand the issues facing the community, as well as to acquaint myself with the community, since any project we tackle must be undertaken as a team, primarily driven by community members, in order to ensure sustainability. This is what Austin and I have been undertaking over the past month.

I am working alongside an organization which has been doing great work within the community since 1999. Local community members had originally formed this organization primarily to address the flood events communities throughout the district regularly face. But the organization has also worked on a wide range of additional projects since its inception. Such projects have dealt in the areas of agriculture and food security, access to safe drinking water, advocating for the basic human rights of the marginalized in society, natural resource management, and the promotion of behavior change in order to improve the health of the community and reduce risk of exposure to illnesses ranging from water-borne diseases to HIV/Aids.

Becoming part of an active organization necessitates that I, to some degree, inherit certain ongoing projects and responsibilities. This brings me to my biggest challenges faced as a Peace Corps Volunteer here in Budalang’i.

I have come to this organization during a time that sees the organization in a major state of transition. The founder of the organization tendered his resignation to the Board of Directors last month, in order to pursue a role in local politics. This is of major consequence to the organization, as not only was he instrumental in the formation of the organization, but he was vital to the daily operations of the organization and takes with him a vast array of experience. He, in the eyes of the community, is synonymous with the organization. Without him, the organization might as well not exist.

Outside of him, only one other person within the organization is considered ‘full-time.’ The two men had been receiving a small regular salary from an NGO dealing with land rights, although that funding has been, at least temporarily, suspended.

Because of the issue of funding, the organization has relied heavily on ‘attachments’, or college interns, as well as volunteer staff. This has resulted in a high rate of staff turnover, as people often leave the organization to continue their studies or to seek paid employment.

Understandably, the natural reaction of the organization has been to internalize most of the activities of the organization within the two ‘full-time’ staff members, therefore isolating themselves from what otherwise would lead to frequent upheaval in the organization’s projects.

Delegation has not been practiced. The staff, as a whole, has generally been kept in the dark when it comes to longer-term projects and strategies, and instead has relied on the ‘full-time’ members to tell them what small tasks they should be doing on a daily basis only.

This approach can work smoothly as long as the two ‘full-time’ staff members remain with the organization. However, now that one has left the organization, the most senior and involved at that, a gaping hole remains.

My host organization has two offices, the main office in Budalang’i, Bunyala District and a branch office in Funyula, Samia District. The one remaining ‘full-time’ staff member is based in Samia District. He has had a major role in projects within that district, but has had little knowledge regarding projects within Bunyala District. He is now taking over the organization, but is still for the most part working out of that office.

For myself, I am working out of the Bunyala District office, likely to be working on issues and projects primarily within this district. Our office is currently staffed by only two volunteers, one of which is the office assistant. As for the Samia District office, the ‘full-time’ staff member has the assistance of a volunteer secretary. We have a very svelte staff, who have not previously been involved enough in the day-to-day operations of the organization and its projects. Right now they are too idle, the situation being as it is, but they are motivated to work.

A Board of Supervisors consisting of 13 people split by gender lead the organization. I have been staying in close communications with John, the Chairman of the Board and my host-father, as it turns out. He has been a great resource, very knowledgeable and pragmatic, during this transition. We regularly discuss strategies on how to move forward as an organization, and he has been very receptive to my input. And I have no doubt we will move forward.

My most vital assignment therefore continues to be that of organizational development and capacity building within the organization itself. Before we can make an impact within our community through new projects, we must ensure that the organization is structured in such a way that it can be sustained going into the future.

It is important to me as a development worker, and specifically as a Peace Corps Volunteer, that I do not create a culture of dependency. This is relevant not only within our community, but also within our specific organization. It is important that the organization does not again become so reliant on one individual that the organization is forced into a difficult period of upheaval when that person leaves. It is especially important that I do not become that individual.

It is therefore critical that I resist performing specific tasks myself. I instead should work with the staff to train them in all relevant areas such that they perform the work. But if the staff is not salaried, they are likely to also be temporary. It’s a complicated situation, and the best solution I can think of is communication. Open up the organization at all levels such that everyone is involved in all facets of work. Everyone learns how to write a proposal together, how to facilitate formations, and so on. That way, since everyone will not likely leave the organization at one time, the chances for some continuity are increased.

When resources are available to hire salaried full-time staff, we can begin to see more continuity within the organization. At that time, we can begin to better specialize our workforce, with each staff member working on tasks tailored to their particular strengths. And hopefully, we can hold regular meetings such that all staff members are knowledgeable of what is happening within the organization. We can also work on a better transition plan, such that an adequate notice is given before any departure, and the staff member to be delegated the responsibilities of the departing member can shadow him for a defined period in an effort to ensure that the organization continues in their absence without a hitch.

But a major struggle has been simply to obtain information on what the organization has been involved in over the past several months, and what has been anticipated in the future. I have tried to make sure that we have held several meetings with our colleague in order to ensure that we all know our role as an organization going forward. That our organization does not drop any of its responsibilities. But extracting this information after the fact has been difficult when so much has been kept in one mind.

A flooded homestead during a previous flood event in Bunyala District.

The most pressing task facing our office is the issue of flooding. My host organization has been heavily involved in all four stages of disaster management within Bunyala District since its inception: from mitigation, preparedness, response/relief, and recovery/reconstruction.

As I had mentioned in a previous post, the early warning system along the River Nzoia was triggered on August 30th; meaning that the water level had risen to such an extent that flooding along the river could be imminent. This level is normally not reached until October. The water level has since receded over the past few weeks due to a decrease in rainfall rates within the catchment area of the river.

However, last Friday while reading Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper, I found an article stating that the Ministry of Special Programmes has issued a warning asking “people living in calamity-prone areas to be ready to move to higher grounds…The Ministry… issued the warning as the meteorological department said most parts of the country would receive heavy rainfall in the first week of October. The rains are expected to reduce towards the end of December, but may continue into January… Although the rains were falling in most parts of the country, the intensity would increase next week."

The article featured a cut-out, which read as follows:

Warning: Affected Areas

• Floods: Northeastern, Western, and Nyanza Regions
• Areas to Vacate: Garissa, Lower Tana, Kano Plains, and Budalang’i

The issue of flooding is unquestionably a pressing one. A specific warning has been issued for our area stressing that not only is flooding imminent, but also evacuation will likely be required within our community of Budalang’i.

Water breaching a dyke along the River Nzoia during a previous flood event. Note the immense force with which the water flows towards the villages.

The most significant role my host organization has regularly played in the response/relief stage of disaster management has been obtaining funding for such vital activities as search and rescue of people stranded by rising waters and temporary camps and shelters, which hosted almost 25,000 people in the most recent flood event last December.

A family's temporary shelter within one of the camps funded by my host organization during a previous flood event.

This is not a small matter; it literally could be a matter of life and death. My concern is that because of the good service our local organization has consistently provided the community in times of crisis, the community will naturally take such services for granted. It has likely become an expectation that my host organization will be there to intercede in any flooding disaster. No one will be there to take on this burden if we drop it. It is therefore imperative that we ensure that these services continue.

Following a meeting held a couple weeks back, I had understood that a proposal for such aid would normally be written by our organization and sent to various donor agencies for funding in advance of any such event, thus ensuring that funds are available once a sudden flooding event does occur. This led to the stress-inducing belief that we are already significantly behind in the process, and are now at risk of not being adequately prepared for a flood event.

A rescue boat, again procured by my host organization, to rescue civilians stranded by the rising flood waters during a previous flood event.

But I have since come to learn that in the past, a proposal has hastily been written to donors asking for funds immediately following a disaster. Then once funds are released, rescue efforts can be undertaken.

Given the dire warnings issued by the government and the meteorological community, and our lack of experience, we all feel that it is crucial for us to be more prepared this time around. Our first priority should be to write a proposal for disaster relief aid, then to identify and approach various donor organizations, such that we can rest assured that the community is taken care of in the case of any flood event.

This undertaking is a tall task since unfortunately the one person who has done this work in the past is no longer with the organization. It makes it ever more so important that we tackle this responsibility while we still have time to breathe.