[Kenya]Peace Winds Japan’s Kenya Program and Akiko Chiba Receive the “Practical Achievement Award” from the Japan Society for Humanitarian Action Studies: Advancing a New Frontier in Refugee Support

Peace Winds Japan (hereafter “Peace Winds”) and Ms. Akiko Chiba, Country Representative of its Kenya program, have been awarded the Practical Achievement Award by the Japan Society for Humanitarian Actions Studies.

This award recognizes individuals and initiatives that have demonstrated outstanding practical contributions in the field of emergency humanitarian assistance. At a time when global humanitarian budgets are shrinking and so-called “forgotten crises” are deepening, the multifaceted approach led by Akiko in Kenya has received high commendation.

Background to the Award: Confronting Funding Shortfalls and a “Forgotten Crisis”

Kenya currently hosts approximately 850,000 refugees and asylum seekers who have fled political instability in neighboring countries and climate-induced drought. However, since 2025, substantial reductions in international assistance have led to severe cuts in food rations and worsening water shortages. Conditions in refugee camps have fallen significantly below established humanitarian standards.

Amid these increasingly constrained circumstances, the Peace Winds Kenya team, under Akiko’s leadership, has developed a support model that goes beyond conventional material distribution, focusing instead on building sustainable systems of assistance.

Recognized Distinctiveness: Implementation Capacity and Multi-Layered Partnerships

1. Foundational Services Grounded in Incremental Improvement and Community Ownership

Basic services—such as water supply, sanitation, shelter, and logistics—are often overlooked in times of crisis. Yet they form the foundation that sustains people’s daily lives and dignity.

Even under conditions of fiscal contraction, Peace Winds has pursued steady, incremental improvements in the field: stabilizing water pressure, reducing leakage, maintaining sanitation facilities, repairing shelters, and improving the maintenance of humanitarian vehicles. Though not highly visible, these efforts contribute directly to everyday security and well-being.

At the same time, the organization has promoted systems in which residents are not merely recipients of aid, but active participants in management and operations. Through strengthening water committees, supporting the maintenance of sanitation facilities, and encouraging participation in waste segregation and community clean-up initiatives, Peace Winds has cultivated responsibility and ownership at the community level.

These cumulative, ground-level improvements and the reinforcement of local agencies have laid the foundation for both sustainability and social integration.

2. Operationalizing Integration Policy as a Strategic Pillar

Peace Winds has actively engaged with the Government of Kenya’s refugee integration policy, the “Shirika Plan,” serving as an implementing actor that translates institutional design into operational reality.

Through promoting clean energy solutions for water pumping, collaborating with the municipal water utility, and strengthening data management systems, the organization is advancing practical pathways for transitioning from humanitarian service delivery to public service provision.

These efforts position integration not as an abstract policy aspiration, but as an operationally viable and institutionally grounded process.

3. Operationalizing Sustainability through Partnerships with Japanese Companies and Local Governments

Collaboration with Japanese companies and local governments was also recognized as a key contribution to advancing the implementation of the integration policy.

The introduction of the simplified toilet system SATO by the Japanese company LIXIL has improved sanitation conditions while also creating employment opportunities for refugees involved in installation and maintenance. 

In partnership with Osaki Town in Kagoshima Prefecture, Peace Winds has applied expertise in waste sorting and recycling to improve solid waste management in Kakuma, Kenya. Furthermore, through collaboration with private-sector partners, a program has been established that enables refugee women to obtain vehicle maintenance certification, creating new pathways for employment.

These initiatives go beyond treating refugees as passive recipients of aid; rather, they reposition refugees as active contributors to development.

4. Addressing the Humanitarian Support Gap through Collaboration with International Organizations and Donors

In addition to working closely with UN agencies such as UNHCR, Peace Winds has collaborated with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) to address support gaps in the water and sanitation sectors in Kenya’s refugee camps and host communities, helping stabilize the provision of essential services.

Despite the constraints imposed by shrinking humanitarian funding, Peace Winds has built a collaborative framework that connects international donors, the Government of Japan, private companies, local governments, and NGOs. This structure supports the transition toward sustainable systems “from the ground up,” and was a key factor in the recognition received through this award.

Empowered by Voices from the Field: The Professional Trajectory of Award Recipient Akiko Chiba

Akiko Chiba studied social anthropology at Tokyo Metropolitan University before gaining experience in the private sector and later serving in the Middle East as a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteer. She subsequently developed long-term professional engagement in Kenya as a specialist in the humanitarian field. She joined Peace Winds in 2018 as its Nairobi-based expatriate and, since 2020, has served as Country Representative, overseeing field operations and leading program implementation.

Chiba reflects:
“Balancing immediate humanitarian response with refugees’ self-reliance and integration is by no means easy. However, I believe that by transcending institutional boundaries—among government authorities, private companies, international organizations, and local communities—we can generate the collective power needed to transform even the most desperate circumstances.”

Her unwavering determination—one that never backs down—together with her field-based leadership, has become a driving force behind the advancement of the Government of Kenya’s refugee integration policy, the Shirika Plan.

The Road Ahead for Peace Winds

While this award recognizes Akiko’s individual achievements, it is equally a testament to the collective efforts of field staff working tirelessly on the ground and to the donors whose support sustains these activities.

Peace Winds remains committed to advancing innovative approaches across all operational areas—including Kakuma, Dadaab, and Kalobeyei—so that refugees and host communities alike may live with dignity.

The organization appreciates continued support for its Kenya program as it strives to build inclusive and sustainable communities.

Reference URL:
UNHCR Good Practice: Case Study on Sanitation Improvements in Kakuma Refugee Camp
Good Practices Increasing access to improved sanitation in Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement
(https://globalcompactrefugees.org/good-practices/increasing-access-improved-sanitation-kakuma-refugee-camp-and-kalobeyei-integrated )