Friday 23rd Octber 2009
Catastrophe looms as drought brings life to a standstill in many parts of Kenya
For immediate release:
CAFOD has pledged half a million pounds to save lives as drought takes a hold in many parts of East Africa.
However, the agency's Kenya and East Africa appeal urgently needs to raise more money totalling one million pounds, so that its partners working on the front line can reach the most vulnerable families in the worst affected areas.
In Kenya up to 3.8 million people face chronic food and water shortages 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 is 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: "October's seasonal rains have already started and should bring relief after parching drought. Instead the rains are predicted to be heavier than usual because of the El Nino weather phenomenon. This will only serve to increase food insecurity by destroying topsoil and causing possible displacement of communities. We can ill-afford not to act now."
The rains will also bring a host of health problems including cholera, diarrhoea and other diseases spread through dirty water usage as people struggle to survive the extreme conditions they find themselves in. The young and the elderly suffering from malnutrition are especially vulnerable to disease.
CAFOD is already working through its partners in many of the most affected areas: Marsabit, Isiolo, 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.
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 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 In Nairobi please contact Bridget Burrows on +254 733 389 895 or email: bburrows@cafod.org.uk
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A man stacks boxes of food aid in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines, October 23, 2009. Typhoon Lupit, which means "fierce" in Filipino,weakened and slowed down as it moved closer to ...
