Living in Each Other’s Shelter in a Year of Challenge
As we reflect on the past year, one phrase has stayed with us more than any other: “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine” — we live in each other’s shelter. It is a simple truth, and a powerful one. It reminds us that none of us stands alone — not as individuals, not as communities, and not as nations. Our wellbeing is shared, and our futures are deeply connected.
For the communities Brighter Communities Worldwide (BCW) works alongside in Kenya, this truth has been lived very practically over the past year. The year was shaped by overlapping pressures on health systems, livelihoods and daily life — and by the ways in which communities, frontline workers and partners stood together to respond.
Across BCW’s programmes, a volatile aid and service delivery context affected access to essential health and social services. Reductions in international health funding narrowed the availability of some services, disrupted staffing and training, and placed additional strain on already stretched facilities. In some areas, this made continuity of care harder to maintain and increased the burden on families.
Rising household costs — for food, fuel, school fees and healthcare — further eroded resilience. Many families delayed seeking care, stretched treatment, or faced difficult choices between meeting basic needs and accessing services.
Climate shocks added another layer of disruption. Prolonged heavy rainfall and flooding damaged roads, livelihoods and crops, interrupted schooling and delayed construction, reinforcing existing vulnerabilities and limiting mobility.
Across all of these challenges, the greatest impact was felt by those already most marginalised — adolescents, remote households and the poorest families.
In this context, living in each other’s shelter was not a metaphor, but a necessity. Communities relied on trusted local health volunteers, teachers and group leaders to share information, maintain follow-up and support one another. Frontline workers adapted under pressure, and partners worked together to localise outreach, adjust activities and protect access where possible.
BCW’s role during this year was not to replace public systems, but to stand alongside them — strengthening community pathways, supporting local leadership, and helping families navigate barriers with dignity. Through a flexible, community-led approach, BCW worked to sustain access and continuity for those furthest behind.
In 2025, the project reached a total population of 275,902 people across Kericho County. Of these, 180,688 people directly benefited, including 40,552 males, 55,354 females, 48,751girls, and 36,031 boys.
This report reflects a year of challenge, but also of solidarity, resilience and shared responsibility — a year that reaffirmed a simple truth: when we live in each other’s shelter, we are better able to withstand the storms we face together.
Click here to read the full report BCW-Summary-Report-2025-1.pdf (740 downloads )
Looking Ahead: Standing Forward Together
This year also marked important progress under Brighter Communities Worldwide’s Strategic Plan 2025–2029, which guides how we work with communities in the years ahead. The strategy sharpens our focus on four interlinked priorities: standing with those who are most marginalised; strengthening community resilience to climate and other shocks; ensuring women, children and young people can access quality health and essential services; and strengthening Brighter Communities Worldwide itself so that we remain a capable, sustainable and locally led organisation for the long term.
The challenges ahead are significant. Yet the past year has shown what is possible when communities, frontline workers, partners and supporters stand shoulder to shoulder — adapting, sharing responsibility and protecting access even under pressure.
It has reaffirmed a simple truth that underpins our work: when we live in each other’s shelter, we are better able to face uncertainty together.
Closing Reflections: Thank You for Standing with Us
As this report shows, the past year has been marked by challenge — but also by resilience, partnership and shared purpose. Across health, education, climate resilience, gender justice and livelihoods, communities have continued to lead change under difficult circumstances, taking practical steps to protect health, dignity and opportunity for the most vulnerable.
None of this happens in isolation. It is made possible by people like you — donors, partners and friends — who choose to stand in solidarity with communities in Kenya and to invest in long-term, locally led change. Your support has helped ensure that mothers and children can access care with dignity; girls remain in school and grow up informed and confident; communities are better equipped to respond to climate shocks; families can build livelihoods and resilience; and harmful practices are challenged through dialogue and collective action.
In a year when systems have been under strain and household pressures have intensified, your commitment has been a source of stability and hope.
“Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine” — we live in each other’s shelter. This idea has shaped our work throughout the year. It reminds us that progress is built through relationship — between communities, frontline workers, volunteers, partners and supporters — and that resilience is something we create together.
As we enter the giving season, we warmly invite you to continue walking this journey with us. Your generosity in the months ahead will help sustain life-saving health services, strengthen education and gender equality programmes, support climate resilience, and enable families to build more secure livelihoods.
From all of us at Brighter Communities Worldwide — and from the communities we serve — thank you for your trust, your solidarity and your belief in what is possible when we stand together.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh. Asante sana.
