Where is the Voice of Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Pastoralists in the Policy-Making Process

Save the Children, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has partnered with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Centre for Behavior Change Communication on the Nomadic Health Project (NHP). This 4-year (2018-2021) project seeks to increase use of quality family planning (FP) services among nomadic and semi-nomadic populations in Kenya. ​NHP commissioned a study to assess the barriers to the participation of nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralist communities in policy-making processes at the county level and identify opportunities for effective community participation. For this study, the policy was defined as, “a formal decision, plan or action adopted by the national MoH and taken up by the county MoH aiming to achieve an improvement in health outcomes.” This plan of action can be articulated in policy, strategy, or guideline documents. ​Using the findings from the study, NHP and other partners will work with the community and county leaders to develop strategies to promote the effective participation of nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralists in county-level policy processes. This brief outlines the results of that study and the policy implications.