“Look, a traditional well.” Our driver points to a few people in a dry river bed, under a ruined bridge. They are digging in the sand, with their hands and plastic jerrycans cut in pieces. Goats and camels are eagerly waiting for water. And then, when water drips out of the sand down the hole, children, adults and animals start drinking.

 
By Thijs Berman
 
Last May I visited Kenya’s Turkana province, on the border with Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia. I travelled through arid lands to meet with pastoralist communities and local NGOs working with them. Pastoralists are different tribes living in this area and in Somalia, moving across borders to find fertile land for their herds.
 
Resilient goats
In May it is supposed to be the rainy season, but I didn't see a drop. Neither did the pastoralists. They are on the forefront of climate change. The effects of it are very visible here, and the further we travelled north, the less green vegetation we saw. The increasingly frequent droughts are turning the landscape into a desert as each year goes by. Not so long ago, there were cows and sheep here. Now camels and goats are the only livestock that survives in this region.
 
On the plane, I had read about the killings of twenty people the week before; it seemed a revenge for a cattle raid by an Ethiopian tribe. The government downplayed the news somewhat, but during my visit it appeared this was not an isolated incident. The struggle for water, for viable land and cattle makes the situation very tense.
 
Wars in neighbouring countries have provided large supplies of AK47s to the pastoralist tribes, making these conflicts even more lethal. I met with representatives of the Peace Building and Conflict Resolution project for Turkana, who are trying to prevent escalation. It is an equally admirable and difficult task.
 
Opening up opportunities
Education plays a vital role in the future of pastoralist communities. It changes the view children have of neighbouring tribes and deals with perhaps the most important question I asked during my visit: "Is there a future in the pastoralist way of living for the children in this region? How long can this go on, if climate change turns this region into a desert?"
 
Pastoralists and experts have no doubt that these children will also make their living as shepherds in Turkana for the decades to come. Regardless, I think it is of great importance that they receive a proper education that opens up opportunities for a different future than the pastoralist existence. The Kenyan government should clear some budget to provide access to affordable education in these regions, adjusted to the life of moving communities as they make ever longer quests for water and green shrubs for their animals.
 
Tarmac trouble
Travelling in Turkana by road takes time, as the holes in the remains of tarmac roads forces drivers off-road, delaying the journey, shaking passengers considerably. This lack of proper infrastructure prevents the people in Turkana of developping better economic opportunities. Mobile phones were a big improvement, as they allow pastoralists to check prices directly, without using a middle man. Better roads would further enhance their economic prospects.
 

Even though the challenges for the pastoralists in Turkana are huge, the opportunities to take on these challenges do exist. It is up to the Kenyan government, with an ambitious and bright Minister for Northern Kenya and Semi-Arid Lands as a driving force, to make use of these opportunities. And it is my task to see that the European Union does its fair share to support these efforts. After all, climate change has not been caused by countries like Kenya.