Millions of Kenyans at Risk for Hunger During Latest Drought
Kenya’s ongoing drought has spawned an acute food shortage, placing nearly 10 million people at risk for going hungry.
Kenya Relief
Assisting Kenyans During the Drought
Support ActionAid's efforts to provide immediate and long-term assistance to Kenyans during the ongoing drought.
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A shortfall of precipitation over the past three rainy seasons, coupled with high food and non-food commodity prices, conflict, and reduced crop resilience, has forced the Kenyan government to declare a national emergency.
To deal with the emergency, the government has stepped in by subsidizing maize flour -- a move that is reducing the price of the commodity. However, the supply is substantially short of reaching the intended beneficiaries and Kenyans continue to line up at the National Cereals and Produce Board to receive food supplies. The country has also lost its strategic grain reserve that is normally maintained to ensure that food security is stabilized during drought and shortage situations.
Kenyans living in pastoral areas -- currently the hardest hit segment of the population -- are in need of food, water and pasture for their livestock. Rivers supplying water in agricultural areas, especially in the Eastern Province and parts of the Central Province, have begun to dry up at the onset of the latest drought.
Pokot woman and cattle herder Tuwit, 10, collect water from a dried watering hole near Tangulbei, East Pokot, Kenya. They complained that the water tastes of cow urine.
Copyright © Des Willie/ActionAid
Through ActionAid’s partnership with AusCare, we are working over the next three months to distribute food and water in Malindi, Tangulbei, Ijara, Wenje and Kongelai. With your assistance, we are aiming to provide food rations to 3,267 people, supplementary food supplies to 2,000 children and assist 500 households with planting drought-resistant crop varieties.
With an eye-toward the horizon, ActionAid is working with communities to restore wells in order to alleviate future water shortages. To date, three wells have been completed and work is ongoing for the next lot. Plans are also underway to assist the Lochokia community with designing a water pan. It is estimated that these activities will benefit approximately 8,500 people and 12,000 animals.
Please join ActionAid in its efforts to assist Kenya though its latest drought.
