About NCOA
Community-owned. Community-led. Community-managed.
We exist because hundreds of elders in Samburu's pastoral communities have nowhere else to turn. This is our story, and the values that guide our work.
Background
A crisis rooted in poverty and distance
Samburu County is consistently ranked among the poorest counties in Kenya, a situation attributable to historical marginalization and harsh weather conditions. With a poverty index cited between 66% and 76%, the majority of families live below the poverty line.
As elsewhere in Kenya, the youth migrate to towns and cities in search of employment, while others are left to herd livestock, spending most of their time away from home. Consequently, hundreds of elderly persons are left or abandoned to struggle on their own against hardships everyone in the region faces.
Many elderly persons go without food for days and hardly make it to hospitals when they are sick. They are highly exposed to losing their lives as a result of neglect attributable to abject poverty, particularly around towns and shopping centres like Maralal, Wamba, Archers Post, Sereolipi, and several others.
Who We Are
Nomadic Communities Old-Age Support Program & Care Centre
NCOA is a registered community based organization (cbo), 2026 based in Samburu East, Samburu County, founded primarily to support the abandoned and neglected elderly persons in society. NCOA is community owned, community-led, and community-managed. Decision-making is done by a local board made up of experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds.
Our Core Values
What guides every visit, every decision
Dignity & Respect
Every elder we serve is treated with the honour their years of life have earned.
Inclusion
No elder is left behind because of location, disability, or family circumstance.
Advocacy & Protection
We champion the rights of the elderly and defend them against neglect and abuse.
Caring Love
Compassion guides every home visit, every meal, and every conversation.
Mutual Trust
We build lasting relationships with elders, families, and the communities around them.
Networking & Collaboration
We work with well-wishers, partners, and local leadership to widen our reach.
Our Aim
What we have committed to doing
- ✓Advocacy to champion for the rights of the elderly and defend them against societal abuses
- ✓Routine home visits to provide neglected aged persons with basic support
- ✓Provide basic home-care & support: food, shelter & bedding
- ✓Support mobility, especially of the aged handicapped persons
- ✓Facilitate & support routine medical checkups & treatment
- ✓Support elderly-friendly income generating activities like beadwork
- ✓Rescue & shelter the abused & abandoned aged persons
- ✓Support the establishment of old-age centres & care homes