Get Out the Vote for AfriScout

Today is Election Day in America, but there’s a global vote Project Concern International (PCI) needs for a very special candidate: Our AfriScout program in Kenya.

AfriScout has been selected as a finalist in the Google Impact Challenge Kenya! As one of 12 remaining finalists, AfriScout is guaranteed to receive training and support from Google through a $125,000 grant. However, PCI also has the opportunity to DOUBLE that funding if AfriScout receives the most votes from the public. That’s where you come in!

By casting a vote for AfriScout, you will be supporting efforts to help pastoral communities survive.

More than 225 million pastoralists across Africa face a real threat to their livelihoods due to climate change and drought. With only word of mouth and other traditional methods to rely on, they often trek for weeks in search of pasture and water for their animals—sometimes finding none. In fact, on average, pastoralists lose about a third of their herds each year due to unsuccessful quests.

To address this challenge, PCI worked in partnership with pastoralists to create AfriScout. The mobile app revolutionizes the way these nomadic shepherds find pasture and water for their animals using the power of satellite and mobile technology.

“Previously, we went on foot in search of pasture and it was a journey of guessing with no clues where to head. … Sometimes heading to areas of no pasture and then back home unsuccessful, while our cattle died in front of us,” said Bakkar Issa, a pastoralist in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. “[AfriScout] has eliminated yesterday’s suffering, thirst and hunger we experienced through arbitrary scouting. It has many benefits.”

To learn more about AfriScout, check out this recent report from Voice of America or the following story from Al Jazeera’s Earthrise series:

The Google Impact Challenge runs until Nov. 25^th and you can vote once for AfriScout from every browser available to you (Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc).

Thanks in advance for giving PCI the chance to create more economic opportunity for pastoralists and their families in Kenya who rely on the ability to find pasture and water for their herds (and livelihoods) to survive.

Your vote matters to us, and to them.