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The diocesan organizational structure has two major arms: Caritas and Pastoral. At the centre of these two arms is service to humanity without discrimination. This integrated strategic plan 2021-2025 incorporates developmental and pastoral programs and sets out the direction of the Diocese of Lodwar for the next 5-years. It is an attempt to put in place the necessary structures to serve the people of Turkana better. This is a concrete response to the call of Pope Francis “…that there can be no Church without Caritas, and that there can be no Caritas without the Church”. The development work of the church springs from the mission to proclaim the good news not just from the pulpit but practically as Jesus did in the concrete reality of people’s daily life.
This strategic plan to be implemented from 2021 - 2025, which was developed with the support of Horizont3000 will be used as a tool for future activities. In this plan, the DoL reflects on extreme poverty and the quality of life of Turkana people as its central question. The threats to the quality of life are manifested in food insecurity, high levels of insecurity, low levels of education, low levels of health, spiritual poverty, and lack of water. The process of decentralization is being envisaged through the empowerment of the four Deaneries of the Diocese to be the four main Regional Centres for both Pastoral and Caritas activities.
The six areas of focus are:- Food Security
- Water Security
- Improved Levels of Security
- Increased Literacy Levels
- Improved Levels of Health
- Increased Spiritual Wealth
Summaries of each area of focus are included below. For the full strategic plan, click here.
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strategic plan SIX AREAS OF FOCUS for 2021 - 2025:
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Food Security
Theareas within the Diocese have acute food and nutritional insecurity (with food poverty at 81%) due to the wide gap between food requirements and supply that is reflected in high prices. The Diocese will support efforts to enhance food security in Turkana through Increased food and livelihood security for vulnerable Households and their families through livelihood strengthening and diversification as well as improved productivity, product quality, and better access to markets.
The Diocese will continue to support Turkana residents with training on context-relevant modern sustainable farming practices to improve food production. Efforts will be made to produce appropriate crops with good domestic and commercial values.
To ensure food security in Turkana, there is a need to increase the amount of meat and milk without putting too much pressure on the land. To do this we need to increase the yield per animal.
The Diocese will support the communities with training on breed improvement, either through natural selection or improving the genetic makeup of the animal through crossbreeding and fertility management to help them maximize their production and productivity. This will improve the quality, quantity, and consequently the profitability of farm animals while being conscious of the environment.
We will make efforts to link livestock farmers with relevant line ministry and other stakeholders for quality extension services.
For the full list of strategies, view our strategic plan.
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Water Security
Turkana County residents have limited or no access to quality water resources, proper hygiene practices, and WASH facilities.
The Diocese will support the county government to increase the availability, access, and use of safe drinking water through implementation of new water interventions and repair of existing water pumping systems, and support hygiene and sanitation behavior change through community training and construction of hygiene and sanitation physical facilities.
Our efforts will focus on increasing access to safe, sustainable, reliable, and well-managed water facilities that are accessible to the target communities therefore improving sanitation and good hygienic practices and safeguarding livelihoods.
For the full list of strategies, view our strategic plan.
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Insecurity
Residents of Turkana County are insecure due to intra ethnic conflict and cross-border conflicts (cattle rustling) with the neighbouring communities (within Kenya-Pokot, and communities from the neighbouring countries; Ethiopia-Merile & Nyang’atom (Dongiro), S.Sudan-Toposa, Uganda-Karamojong-Tepeth, Matheniko, Jie & Dodoth.
The Diocese will support efforts to create a more just, peaceful, and loving society, based on respect for human dignity, rights, and proper relationships with God, oneself, neighbours, and creation itself by building structures for civic & peaceful engagements and protests against all forms of injustices.
To promote peace and Justice across the border and within Turkana, DoL will continue its efforts of building the capacities of communities to engage in policy advocacy, to improve citizen participation to influence policy formulation, implementation, and legislative reform, and to hold state institutions accountable. DoL will promote peaceful sustainable management of resources by forming and strengthening peace and natural resource structures by pastoralist communities. DoL will promote access to justice by remote community groups such as village courts/small claims courts.
To enhance good governance in the management of resources in Turkana, DoL will make efforts to inculcate the culture of social accountability to the residents so that they can hold both duty bearers and rights holders accountable in the society.
To enhance human rights education among residents of the Diocese of Lodwar and her neighbours. DoL will make efforts to inculcate the culture of upholding human rights in students/children in schools. DoL will work with neighbouring Dioceses to support local community peace initiatives and continuous leader's engagements in order to consolidate efforts towards reducing cross border conflict. DoL will advocate for increased synergy between informal Turkana traditional governance system and modern formal governance systems.
For the full list of strategies, view our strategic plan.
Pictured: Bishop Dominic Kimengich and Bishop Pante of Maralal signing the Peaceful disarmament press statement made after Cross-border Peace conference 2019
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Increase Literacy Levels
Since populations within the Diocese experience high levels of illiteracy characterized by either limited or no access to education, the Diocese will support county efforts to provide access to quality education for boys, girls, youths, and adults through improved learning outcomes and equitable and inclusive education.
The literacy level in the county is very low, estimated to be at 20% despite the efforts being put by the government, Diocese of Lodwar, and other non-state actors to bring the illiteracy levels down through increasing enrolments in basic primary education and increasing access to Adult Education Program as well.
The Diocese will continue to focus attention on increasing access and improving learning in early childhood development, in primary and Secondary schools, including in the refugee camps and other humanitarian situations. DoL will also continue to contribute towards improving access to education for adult learners and out-of-school youths for healthy and productive lives. Advocacy work will be done for the prioritization of adult education in budgetary allocations and an increased number of trained adult facilitators in Turkana.
DoL will also focus on advocating for the solutions to the usual impediments to learners attending schools such as food for children, school requirements, teaching, and learning materials.
In addition, improving access will be prioritized to improve overall results, especially for the most disadvantaged children, including girls and children with disabilities hence increasing literacy levels in the county.
For the full list of strategies, view our strategic plan.
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Improved LEvels of Health
The Diocese will focus on supporting efforts to ensure primary health care (preventive, curative, and rehabilitative), school health program, HIV/AIDS program, and outreach services in marginalized communities of hard-to-reach areas within Turkana County and maintain strong interaction with government and other partners to take forward the national healthcare agenda.
The Diocese will leverage our existing health infrastructures to upgrade the levels and outreaches to enhance service delivery to the community since its nomadic nature poses a challenge. The upgrade of the facilities will target St. Monica, St. Patrick’s, Nakwamoru, Lowarengak, and Lokori facilities from level 2 to 3.
We will also lobby for investment in health infrastructures that will safeguard maternal health care and provide specialized care.; The above 5 facilities together with St Elizabeth Lorugum will have a minimum requirement of ultrasound that’s currently mandatory to all pregnant mothers. Kakuma mission hospital will require an upgrade of services which include erection of a morgue and surgical wards.We will also establish a Diocese of Lodwar Mission Hospital in Lodwar town to address the above concerns from the needs assessment recommendations.
We will establish and reinforce special program for the treatment and prevention of non-communicable diseases.
For the full list of strategies, view our strategic plan.
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Increased Spiritual Wealth
.The work of evangelization in Turkana has taken almost 60 years and a lot has been achieved in terms of structures and humanitarian services. Many people have become Christians through the work of evangelization done by the missionaries and local pastoral agents.
The challenge however is the low penetration of Christian values in the Turkana. Various factors have contributed to this situation and when addressed, desirable levels of spiritual wealth will be achieved.
Christian formation and reception of sacraments need a common guideline for the whole diocese. It will therefore call for a new detailed guideline produced by the diocese for use in the parishes and formation programs. A specific book will be developed by the pastoral office for this end.
Increased work of evangelization means that many people are reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ and society is transformed for the better by the same message.
To increase the work of evangelization there is a need to increase the number of pastoral agents, improved means of communications, improved security in the area, improved means of transport for the pastoral agents, and improved participation of the laity in the work of evangelization.
The Diocese also hopes to enhance vigorous strategic formation activities for the youth, children and adults Leverage to higher levels the efforts towards a vocation to the priesthood and religious life. The diocese currently hosts 27 religious congregations. There’s one congregation for sisters which is underway for the diocese; Good Shepherd Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (GSSIC) and a public association of Christian Faithful, both of clergy and lay, Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA). The diocesan clergies are 15 priests and 15 seminarians undergoing formation to the priesthood.
The Diocese has various channels of communication; Radio, print, social media and website. We hope to also increase our reach to help with the evangelization through the radio, social media and printed magazines.
For the full list of strategies, view our strategic plan.
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