Collective Action, Collective Impact through Strategic Partnerships in Northern Kenya

In 2013, the USAID Kenya and East Africa mission formed the Partnership for Resilience and Economic Growth in Kenya (PREG), a collaboration and coordination platform, that brings together humanitarian and development partners to build the resilience of vulnerable pastoralist communities in northern Kenya. The Partnership unites multiple USAID activities, implementing partners a work with the Kenya National Drought Management Authority and county governments to coordinate resilience and economic growth activities. PREG partners work in nine arid counties of northern Kenya and build on community identified strengths and priorities while tapping into the remarkable survival abilities of local populations.

This coordination and integration of complementary humanitarian and development assistance activities allow for USAID and partners to adjust as communities become more resilient over time. PREG is applying collaboration approaches, mainly partner-driven, to coordinate USAID investments in northern Kenya aimed at improving livelihoods and governance; strengthen livestock value chains; enable access to water sources and water, sanitation, health and hygiene services; increase conservation measures; address conflict; improve literacy and youth employability; and promote inclusiveness and gender responsiveness.

This case focuses on the progress of collaboration that has facilitated a maturing partnership and shares lessons learned in structuring collaboration that is meaningful and strategic and some of the challenges encountered in the growth of the partnership. Specifically, the case highlights joint work planning processes and how these have facilitated effective collaboration, continuous improvement, a culture of openness, leveraging of relationships and networks; as well as learning events as moments to pause and reflect, capture learning and use this learning to tweak interventions for efficiency and effectiveness.