30 September 2009
Drought brings life to a standstill in many parts of Kenya
For immediate release:
CAFOD launches a one million pound appeal as up to 3.8 million people face chronic food and water shortages in Kenya following three consecutive years of failed rains.
Throughout large parts of the country, families face the prospect of starvation as the persistent drought claims crops and animals.
CAFOD's partners report that people are barely surviving as herds of animals die from exhaustion and thirst. The skinny animals which are left are too weak to milk leaving families hungry and suffering without their main supply of food.
The animals are also in too poor a condition to sell and their prices at market have nosedived with reports of cows being sold for as little as 500 Kenyan shillings (£5). Meanwhile, the price of basic food has skyrocketed, due to a combination of drought and the world economic downturn.
Head of CAFOD's Humanitarian Programmes for Africa, Fergus Conmee, who is based in Nairobi, has been assessing the situation in the worst affected areas. He says: "This drought promises to be worse than that of 2005, because it is so widespread, covering the region. The droughts are so frequent and so severe now that communities are lurching from one crisis to the next, without any time to recover.
He continues: "Even if the October rains do come in the next weeks, this would not end the drought, but threaten to worsen the already fragile food situation by potentially bringing floods and disease to already weak animals."
CAFOD is already working through its partners in many of the most affected areas: Marsabit, Isiolo, Maralal, Samburu, Kitui and Kajiado. The money from the appeal will help feed the most vulnerable - children, women, the elderly and the chronically ill and provide medicines for drought-related illnesses. Water will also be trucked into affected areas where necessary.
The Kenyan Government and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) are providing some food, but this is not enough to meet local needs. Money raised through the appeal will go directly to supporting vulnerable people's immediate needs for food and water as well as enhancing communities' longer-term recovery and resilience to future droughts.
Alongside the emergency response CAFOD is also supporting vulnerable communities to mitigate against the effects of drought and improve their resilience. CAFOD's Disaster Risk Reduction adviser, Jessica Mercer has recently returned from northern Kenya working with partners and communities. She says: "Whilst this is not a quick fix, initiatives such as early warning systems, growing drought resistant crops, practicing sustainable land use, and knowing when to sell livestock in preparation for a drought all contribute to community preparedness.
"This is a slow and gradual process which builds the resilience of communities to future droughts, with the ultimate aim of reducing the need for humanitarian assistance."
Money raised from the Kenya and East Africa appeal - http://www.cafod.org.uk/kenyacrisisappeal will also be used to support communities affected by drought in neighbouring countries, where families are also walking a survival tightrope as they struggle to feed themselves.
In Eritrea CAFOD is feeding young malnourished children and new mothers, while in north-eastern Uganda CAFOD is providing food under a food-for-work scheme which is building water points, and providing extra food for the vulnerable.
For further information, please contact Nana Anto-Awuakye on: 07799 477 541 or 020 7326-5560 or email nanto-awuakye@cafod.org.uk
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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