About STEP
Grassroots, climate-aware, community-led.
Society to Triumph in Empowerment of Pastoralists (STEP) is a community-based organization registered with the office of social services (Reg. No. SW/177/22) and currently progressing toward registration as a Local NGO serving Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands.
Vision
A thriving, resilient and inclusive pastoralist society.
Main Objective
To contribute to the sustainable socio-economic transformation of pastoralists and marginalized communities through inclusive, resilient development.
- Promotion of sustainable agriculture and livelihoods
- Equitable access to quality education and social services
- Peace building and social cohesion
- Improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services
- Effective relief support and disaster risk reduction
- Climate change mitigation and environmental conservation
- Strengthened partnerships, innovation, and institutional capacity
Our story begins where the road runs out.
STEP was founded in 2004 in response to persistent inequalities in access to basic services, recurring climate shocks, resource-based conflicts and limited livelihood opportunities in pastoralist Kenya.
Pastoralist communities in Isiolo are among the most climate-vulnerable groups in the country — facing drought, water scarcity, land degradation and shrinking grazing resources, compounded by low access to quality education and youth unemployment.
We exist as a locally driven response: integrating education, water, livelihoods, climate adaptation, environmental conservation and peacebuilding — always community-led, inclusive and rooted in indigenous knowledge.
Core Values
The principles that guide every program.
Promoting community ownership and engagement.
Fairness and equal opportunities for all.
Integrity and responsible leadership.
Resilient and innovative solutions.
Social cohesion, respect for culture and diversity.
Where we work
Rooted in Isiolo, expanding across ASAL and coastal Kenya.
We primarily serve Borana, Somali, Turkana, Samburu and Meru communities in Isiolo County. Our expansion footprint stretches across eleven counties facing vulnerability, inequality and development gaps.