In the far north of Kenya, the Chalbi Desert stretches across an arid plain of stones and dust. Despite being one of the most inhospitable areas in Africa, some local tribes have established a small town called North Horr. And it is from here that the journey of "BG4SDGs - Time to Change" starts.
Stefano Guindani flew to Kenya for the sixth appointment of our project developed in collaboration with him to describe the state of the art of the UN 2030 Agenda. In particular, the photographer's lens focused on Sustainable Development Goal number 17:
This goal is as complex as it is challenging, and it encompasses the essence of all the other 16 SDGs, since it is only through international cooperation that the genuine sustainable revolution called for in the 2015 Paris agreements can come about.
The village of Nort Horr in Kenya and the Gabra tribe
And among the most effective examples of international cooperation, the one under way in North Horr is one of the most emblematic.
This village is inhabited mainly by nomads from the Gabra tribe, who live almost exclusively on sheep farming. Yet the inhospitable climate is leading to the death of more and more animals, making the future of an entire community more precarious every day.
Climate change is making rainfall extremely rare, reducing the presence of water to a minimum to develop both human and animal life.
The Heal project
In this complicated context, Amref has set up 'Heal', a project that aims to radically change the interdependent relationship between man and the environment. Using its transnational presence, the Association is encouraging a process involving countries, organisations and experts, leading North Horr towards sustainable development solutions.
One of the cornerstones of "Heal" is the adoption of a multi-user innovation platform aimed at preventing meteorological risks. To power it, the Association has asked pastoral society leaders, project staff in NGOs working in the area and others such as scientists and researchers who gravitate towards the area to wear sensors to track what is happening in their environment.
A series of weather stations then analyse the collected data in real time, which is explained to the pastoralists through the project managers. In this way, shepherds can manage their livestock more responsibly, preserving them in the difficult environment.
In addition to this, the "Heal" project has already brought a permanent health care centre to North Horr to respond effectively to the various health problems affecting the local populations: from childbirth to malnutrition, from illnesses to accidents among the nomads. There is also a third dimension to the project, the cultural dimension, to use today's knowledge to overcome customs and superstitions that have been handed down for centuries in this part of the world.
Stefano Guindani
I met an ancient Kenyan tribe, the Gabra, who live according to tradition but who also try to keep up with the modern world, optimising the technology and knowledge of other groups in order to create a partnership aimed at improving the quality of life of the people who live, or sometimes survive, in a very inhospitable area that climate change is making increasingly difficult to inhabit.
