Mandera County, Kenya — By Ahmed Hussein.
RACIDA, in collaboration with Concern Worldwide and with generous funding from Irish Aid, has officially launched the Hanaano Programme’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, marking a major milestone in advancing women-led livelihoods and strengthening community resilience in Mandera County.
The event, held at RACIDA’s Mandera Regional office, brought together county officials, community representatives, women leaders, and development partners to celebrate the disbursement of KES 7.3 million in livelihood grants to 23 Women’s Groups (MtMSGs) drawn from Eymole, Lulis, Malkamari, Hullow, Ashabito, Yabicho, Rahmudimto, Girisa, Rhamu, BP1, and Neboi.
Empowering Women to Drive Local Economies
The Hanaano Programme—whose name means “nurturing”—is designed to prevent child wasting while strengthening household resilience through nutrition-sensitive and livelihood-support interventions. These grants will enable women entrepreneurs to expand small enterprises, diversify income sources, boost household food security, and enhance economic independence.
Speaking during the ceremony, Fred Ogeto, Programs Coordinator at RACIDA, emphasized the transformative potential of the grants:
“The reason why we are here today is to empower our MtMSG women’s groups with grants that will help them grow their small businesses and strengthen their livelihoods. The Hanaano Programme — meaning ‘nurturing’ is about supporting families to provide and care for their children. By investing in women’s economic independence, we are building sustainable resilience across Mandera County.”
— Fred Ogeto, Programs Coordinator, RACIDA, during the disbursement of the Hanaano Programme economic empowerment grants.
CEC Trade from the Mandera County Government, Mr. Mohamed Ali applauded the initiative, highlighting RACIDA and the Hanaano consortium support in various capacities including women’s economic empowerment that remains a priority for county development and community resilience-building. The presence of county officials underscored the strong partnerships driving the Hanaano Programme’s impact across Mandera.
Voices of Change: Women Leading the Transformation
During the event, several beneficiary women shared their stories and hopes for the future. Many expressed that the grants would enable them to:
Expand or start small businesses such as retail shops, fodder supply, tailoring, and poultry enterprises Enhance their ability to provide nutritious meals for their children Reduce dependency on irregular income sources Build long-term resilience against shocks such as drought and food insecurity
These testimonies highlighted the life-changing impact the Hanaano Programme continues to create at household and community levels.
A Step Forward in Strengthening Mandera’s Resilience
The economic empowerment grants form a core pillar of the broader Hanaano Programme, which integrates interventions across Nutrition, WASH, Livelihoods, and Gender to build resilient communities across Mandera East, Mandera North, Banisa, and Kiliwaheri.
As the grants take root within women-led groups, RACIDA and its partners will continue offering mentorship, financial literacy training, and market linkage support to ensure sustainability and long-term success.
About the Hanaano Programme
The Hanaano Programme aims to reduce child wasting and strengthen family resilience in the Mandera Triangle. In Kenya the program, implemented by RACIDA in partnership with Concern Worldwide and funded by Irish Aid, supports households through nutrition services, economic empowerment, natural resource management, and community-based resilience activities.