CISP Africa

12/08/2026

Closing the basis risk gap in livestock insurance.

Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) provides payouts when satellite data indicates that drought conditions have reached a critical threshold. But what happens when the data doesn't reflect reality on the ground?

Pastoralists may be losing livestock while the satellite shows no trigger for compensation. This disconnect, known as basis risk, is one of the biggest barriers to trust and adoption of index insurance.

Professor Caroline Ogutu of the University of Nairobi is tackling this through a transdisciplinary methodology combining actuarial models (Gradient Boosting Machine) with community-based social research and citizen science.

By bringing together data science and local knowledge, this research is helping build insurance systems that are not only more accurate, but also more responsive to the lived experiences of pastoralist communities.
The result is a livestock insurance that doesn't just rely on data, it also listens to the people it is designed to protect.

Watch this video

For more details on the BIMA project, visit https://clareprogramme.org/bima

10/08/2026

CISP – Somalia

For Dowlo, a mother of 12 from Horumar Village in Galkayo District, seeing her 11-month-old daughter Arfon struggle with malnutrition was a painful experience. With limited income and an unemployed husband, accessing the support her daughter needed felt out of reach.

When Dowlo brought Arfon to Horumar Health Center, she was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition and enrolled in CISP’s nutrition treatment programme, where she received life-saving therapeutic food and regular follow-up care.

With additional cash assistance, Dowlo’s family has also been able to improve their access to food and better support Arfon’s recovery.
"She eats better now, sleeps peacefully, and has started playing and smiling again," Dowlo shares.

Through integrated nutrition support and household assistance, CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli , with funding from the Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (AICS), is helping vulnerable families address the challenges that contribute to child malnutrition and giving children a healthier start.




Northern Frontier Youth League - NoFYL

06/08/2026

The WINGS project, under the Ethical and Sustainable Fashion component, brought together designers from Mombasa, engaging them in hands-on experience exploring the skills and techniques that bring fashion concepts to life.

Throughout the sessions, designers worked on measurement, drafting, pattern cutting, sketching and fabric cutting. This culminated in learning the craft of bag production, printing, weaving, leatherwork, pottery and spinning.

Their learning extended beyond the classroom through visits to Imani Collective's workshops and creative spaces in Mombasa, offering opportunities to discover new techniques, materials and approaches to making bags.

A valuable part of the WINGS journey is learning by doing, exploring, experimenting and connecting with Kenya's creative ecosystem.

This initiative is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) through the Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (AICS), led by Fondazione L'Albero della Vita and implemented by CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli in partnership with KikoRomeo and United Disabled Persons of Kenya -UDPK.

29/07/2026

CISP -– Somalia

At just 19 years old, Fardowsa faced every parent's fear: watching her young son struggle with malnutrition while lacking the resources to provide the nutritious food he needed.
At Kaah Health Centre, she found more than treatment. Through integrated nutrition services and cash assistance, her son regained his strength, and her family received the support they needed to recover with dignity.
Implemented by CISP with support from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), this intervention is helping vulnerable families build healthier futures.

Read Fardowsa's full story and discover how timely, integrated support is changing lives in Somalia.

https://tinyurl.com/ntvtmxj4

“Before I visited this centre, I was worried every day about my son's health and whether I could provide enough food for him. I received the support at a time when we needed it most.

22/07/2026

CISP – Mozambique
Fortalecer as comunidades para construir uma cultura de paz.
No âmbito do Projeto Pro-Paz, cofinanciado pela União Europeia em Moçambique, o CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli realizou a entrega de materiais de trabalho a 12 grupos comunitários nos distritos de Chimoio, Vanduzi e Manica, dando continuidade ao apoio às comunidades envolvidas nos Diálogos Comunitários.
Esta iniciativa integra a segunda fase dos Diálogos Comunitários e visa apoiar a implementação dos planos de ação elaborados pelas próprias comunidades, reforçando o seu papel como protagonistas na promoção da mudança social.
Cada um dos 12 grupos, compostos por cerca de 20 membros, recebeu materiais essenciais para fortalecer as suas ações de sensibilização e mobilização comunitária, incluindo bicicletas, megafones e exemplares das Leis n.º 29/2009 (Violência Praticada Contra a Mulher) e n.º 19/2019 (Prevenção e Combate às Uniões Prematuras), entre outros recursos de apoio.
Com estes meios, os grupos estarão mais preparados para levar mensagens de prevenção da violência baseada no género, promoção da igualdade de género e construção de uma cultura de paz a um número cada vez maior de famílias e comunidades.
Ao investir na liderança e no protagonismo das comunidades, o Projeto Pro-Paz reafirma o seu compromisso com soluções sustentáveis, promovendo a coesão social, o diálogo e uma transformação positiva e duradoura na província de Manica.

17/07/2026

CISP - Kenya

For many pastoralist families, livestock is more than an asset. It's their livelihood, their children's school fees, and their safety net during difficult times.

Meet Zainab Jibu Mtawali, a Village Insurance Promoter supporting the BIMA project. She works alongside her community to explain the improved Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI), guide households through the simulation process, and help them understand how drought-triggered payouts can protect their herds before losses become devastating.

What does it take to build trust in an insurance system? Hear directly from Zainab as she shares the conversations, challenges, and hopes that come with bringing BIMA closer to pastoralist communities.

Watch her story here.

The BIMA project is under the CLARE Programme, funded by IDRC / CRDI and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

15/07/2026

CISP – Somalia

Two mothers give birth at Horumar Health Centre every day. For many, it's the only safe place they have.

In Galkayo, Somalia, midwife Sadia Muhidin has dedicated her life to caring for pregnant women and new mothers, many of them displaced by conflict and left with few opportunities to access skilled maternal healthcare.

"It means a lot to me to support pregnant mothers. I feel that I am fulfilling my duties and responsibilities."

With support from CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli through the Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (AICS) project, Horumar Health Centre stays open 24 hours a day, staffed by qualified midwives ready for anything, from routine deliveries to emergencies in the middle of the night.

Read Sadia's full story and learn how this support is reaching some of the most vulnerable families in Galmudug State.

https://tinyurl.com/cispsomalia

13/07/2026

CISP - Moçambique

EVENTO FINAL DO PROJECTO PROPAZ DESTACA RESULTADOS E CONSOLIDA O FÓRUM NACIONAL DE PAZ E RECONCILIAÇÃO

Está a decorrer hoje, na Galeria do Porto de Maputo, o Evento Final do Projeto PROPAZ e Consolidação do Fórum Nacional de Paz e Reconciliação, uma iniciativa cofinanciada pela União Europeia e implementada pelo consórcio CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli , IMD - Instituto para Democracia Multipartidária , LeMuSiCa e IVERCA.

O evento assinala o encerramento de três anos de implementação do PROPAZ, promovendo a apresentação dos resultados alcançados, a partilha de boas práticas e a consolidação do Fórum Nacional de Paz e Reconciliação como uma plataforma permanente de diálogo para a construção da paz em Moçambique.

A jornada iniciou com a inauguração da exposição "Arte para a Mudança Social", pelo Ministro da Justiça, Assuntos Constitucionais e Religiosos, Mateus Saize, apresentando metodologias como PhotoVoice, Body Mapping, Teatro do Oprimido e Storytelling, que demonstram o poder da arte e da cultura na promoção da paz e da coesão social.

Na abertura oficial, Karen Rafael, Representante-País do CISP e Coordenadora do PROPAZ, destacou que o projeto beneficiou diretamente mais de 6.600 pessoas, 56% das quais mulheres, deixando como legado o fortalecimento das infraestruturas de paz e a consolidação do Fórum Nacional de Paz e Reconciliação.

A Chefe de Cooperação da União Europeia, Paula Vazquez Horyaans, reafirmou que a paz se constrói através da cultura, do diálogo e da inclusão. O Embaixador da Suécia, Andrés Jato, destacou que a paz é indispensável ao desenvolvimento sustentável, enquanto o Ministro Mateus Saize reforçou que a reconciliação exige compromisso permanente, justiça e participação de toda a sociedade. Durante a manhã, os participantes acompanharam apresentações sobre os resultados do projeto, testemunhos de beneficiários, o lançamento do Manual de Boas Práticas de Mobilização Comunitária e Empoderamento das Mulheres, uma apresentação de Teatro Fórum e a interpretação de histórias de ex-combatentes da região Centro, fruto da metodologia de Storytelling desenvolvida pelo PROPAZ em Sofala, Manica e Tete.

O evento prossegue durante a tarde com a apresentação dos resultados alcançados ao longo dos três anos.

União Europeia em Moçambique

09/07/2026

Last week marked a major milestone for the WINGS Ethical & Sustainable Fashion Project as we officially welcomed our first cohort of designers from Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa.

Training commenced thereafter bringing together an inspiring group of creatives who are ready to grow their brands, strengthen their skills, and champion ethical and sustainable fashion in Kenya.

The first session focused on building connections within the cohort, exploring the global, African, and Kenyan fashion industries, and laying the foundation for the learning journey ahead. The energy, curiosity, and creativity shared by the designers reminded us why investing in the creative economy matters.

This is just the beginning, and we're eager to walk alongside this talented cohort over the coming months as they develop innovative fashion businesses that are both commercially successful and socially impactful.

Here's to a journey of learning, collaboration, and creating the future of ethical and sustainable fashion together.

This initiative is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) through the Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (AICS) and implemented by CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli in partnership with KikoRomeo and United Disabled Persons of Kenya -UDPK .

08/07/2026

CISP – Kenya
Tana River County recently convened a Technical workshop to review and update its 2026 Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), the county's strategic framework for responding to drought at every stage:

Beyond the technical update, the process created a valuable cross-learning space between government and technical partners. It offered a channel for insights from BIMA project under the CLARE programme, which pilots satellite and data-driven early warning triggers for an Index-Based Livestock Insurance model, to inform the DCP's on early warning thresholds.
Over four days National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), the County Government, and partners including CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli, University of Nairobi, Kenya Red Cross Society, and technical teams from Agriculture, Livestock, Water, Health & Nutrition, Security, and Special Programs worked to:
→ Refine early warning triggers and thresholds using current data
→ Update sectoral scenarios (Normal, Moderate, Worst)
→ Strengthen Standard Operating Procedures for multi-agency drought response
→ Consolidate a costed, SMART intervention plan for the county
A stronger, evidence-informed Drought Contingency Plan means Tana River County is better positioned to act early and protect the progress made against drought and poverty.