Strategies for Northern Development in Kenya to be awarded with Lynn C. Fritz Medal for Excellence in Humanitarian Logistics 2024
The winner of the Lynn C. Fritz Medal for Excellence in Humanitarian Logistics 2024 has been announced: The medal, which has been awarded by the Logistics Hall of Fame since 2023 and is sponsored by the Fritz Institute, goes to the humanitarian organization Strategies for Northern Development (SND) in Kenya. The non-governmental organization is being honored for its exemplary pioneering work in the "Horn of Africa Extreme Weather Response" project in northern Kenya from April 2022 to August 2024. Experts developed a strategy to provide affected people with fast, secure and sustainable access to everyday products using electronic vouchers and multi-purpose cash assistance via mobile phone. In total, more than 1,200 households affected by drought and flooding in the Marsabit district were helped in ten payment cycles. SND received support from the humanitarian organization Oxfam.
Instead of having to queue at distribution points for food or other daily necessities, the affected people received money via the M-Pesa platform of the service provider Safaricom to their registered and verified mobile phone numbers. SND developed a 13-point strategy to ensure that the pastoralists in need received the money or e-vouchers quickly, transparently and securely. It included, for example, identifying the people in need, the requirements and the market capacities. In addition, SND employees informed communities, partners and beneficiaries about the project, checked and corrected registration data and introduced a free hotline for queries. The organization also ensured that data protection was adhered to and evaluated all measures.
The evaluation of the project showed several positive results:
- Faster assistance: 95 percent of participants of the program received assistance within 24 hours of funds being allocated during the emergency phase.
- Improved access to essential goods and services: 75 percent of households reported improved access to food, clean water, sanitation and hygiene items within the first month of the intervention and in the subsequent payment cycle.
- Improved decision making: 82 percent of the affected people reported that they were better able to prioritize their needs and determine next steps after receiving cash transfers or e-vouchers.
- Support for the local economy: The number of market transactions increased by 90 percent during the project period compared to the period before the measures.
The 15-member international jury chose the project from northern Kenya from among all the applications because it is an "innovative pioneering project by a local organization with only 105 employees in its own country", as stated in the explanatory statement.
