In
pursuit
of its mission and objectives, HEMNet
is executing various strategies in
collaboration with various partners. Faced
with a paucity of resources, the
organisation's prevailing strategy is to
harness the professional skills, experience,
agenda setting roles and massive influence
attendant in the mass media aplenty among its
ranks and combine these with partners' resources which are
then focused upon mutually agreed
projects.
These projects
tend to be man-made difficulties afflicting
various communities' livelihood such as; abuse
of public funds assigned to tame harsh
environmental conditions to facilitate better
living standards; inept media coverage of
social and problems such as the HIV/Aids
pandemonium mainly due to lack of awareness on
the scourge among some journalists and immense
mistrust between them and technocrats running
the intervention against the disease; and low
prioritisation and policing of issues such as
environmental pollution - mainly through
municipal and industrial effluent - due to
their marginalisation as 'complex' and
resultant exit from public domain and debate.
Some of the
existing or previous projects have targeted;
-
The
exploitation of fishing communities along
the shores of the Lake Victoria by
profiteering middlemen.
-
Decades of
environmental degradation of the Lake
Victoria's ecosystem, ranging from heavy
pollution via high-B.O.D charged municipal
and industrial waste to exploitative
fishing methods that hamper fish spawning
and tilt the balance of the aquatic life. HEMNet
currently represents Kenya as part of
regional environmental network - with
representation from Uganda and Tanzania -
fighting to promote conservation of
the lake.
-
Ramifications
of Insecurity in North Rift region emanating from
commercialised and politicised cattle
rustling.
-
Poverty and deprivation
evident across communities from Barwessa Division of Baringo
District to Mt. Elgon on the border with
Uganda, to Suba District which catches
70% of the fish caught on Kenya's
six percent share of Lake Victoria.
-
Governance and community concerns of people in
Budalangi, Busia District and Nyando District over
perennial flooding that annually displace
thousands of residents from their homes
and destroy products of their economic
activities such as farms.
-
Capacity building of
members on emerging areas of development
and public concern. Several awareness
seminars and training workshops held on
diverse subjects on the environment,
health and policy issues.
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