The Foreign Service Journal, December 2018

52 DECEMBER 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL I facilitate joint planning sessions among partners to identify the opportunities for collaboration, and include the needs of the community and the impact on the environment into the design. With the new design, the community members have access to mobile banking to address security concerns, and commer- cial banks have even opened offices in the market. The county government started providing veterinary services in the market, making animal disease detection and treatment more accessible so that traders, such as the woman I met, don’t need to travel as far to treat their herds. Moreover, the market has opened up trade beyond the sale of livestock, with vendors selling hot food, vegetables and other products from surrounding counties. Now, going to the market in this remote area affords community members an opportunity not only to sell their livestock, but also to buy their family’s provisions and seek health care services at the nearby Merille clinic. Part- nership has played a major role in making the market functional, bringing transformation to the pastoralist community in Merille and northern Kenya as a whole. A USAID survey in mid-2015 offered evidence of PREG’s impact. After 2 1 / 2 years, there was a documented 12 percent reduction in the depth of poverty and a 28 percent increase in women’s dietary diversity in northern Kenya. For me, this information validated USAID’s new way of doing business, demonstrating that collective actions lead to collective impact. At a personal level, the data provided the impetus for me to work to overcome challenges of a maturing partnership and facilitate an environment that promotes continuous learning and improve- ment. One of my proudest moments was when I co-designed and facilitated a transformational leadership training workshop for PREG’s county-level leads. One participant stated that his take- away nugget from the workshop was this: “The essence of a part- nership is working together to improve outcomes that improve a community’s well-being.” This workshop demonstrated how we have cultivated transformational leadership among our stake- holders as champions for change—a key component to Kenyans’ ability to transform the arid lands and maximize the sustainable impact of U.S. government investments in Kenya. n Dorine Genga is the program management assistant for USAID/ Kenya and East Africa. Ms. Genga’s responsibilities include monitor- ing, evaluation and learning for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene program and Feed the Future livestock and resilience activities. This portfolio includes $107 million in USAID investments in Kenya. Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Genga worked with an international nongov- ernmental organization on refugee resettlement. She holds a bachelor of education degree in business studies and geography. As part of the Partnership for Resilience and Economic Growth, USAID works to improve business models in northern Kenya. Since 2015, the Merille livestock market has added mobile banking and veterinary services, and opened up trade to include vegetables and other products from the surrounding areas. COURTESYOFUSAID