Kenya is currently being hit by a catastrophic drought, unprecedented in 40 years. The situation is most difficult in the north of the country and in the central part of Kajiado County, which is where the Osimlai Gifted Hands school we co-run is located. The drought is affecting the entire Horn of Africa region – Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
Save teh Children reports:
“The Horn of Africa is experiencing one of the worst droughts in recent history. Almost 16 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are in urgent need of food. If we do not act, more than 350,000 children could die in Somalia in the next few months.
About 40 per cent of the total population in the Horn of Africa is malnourished. This type of malnutrition makes children much more susceptible to disease because their immune systems are weakened.
Pomóż, kryzys wodny zagraża życiu i zdrowiu
Masai possessions are cattle
Our school community is 99% Masai, whose primary possessions and also their only source of livelihood are cows, goats and sheep. Successive droughts have severely depleted the herds, but the current drought, the worst in 40 years, is taking everything away, resulting in the loss of over 300,000 of these animals, threatening more than a million cattle with starvation. At the moment, at the market in Bisil – which is 25 km from our school – cows are being sold for 500 kes a head, whereas the standard market price until recently was 20 000 kes.
Who can afford to go shopping?
Cases of severe malnutrition were also reported across the country. As many as 942,000 children aged 6-59 months and 134,000 pregnant or lactating women were affected.
We are one step away from tragedy among our families.
It is also dramatic that the two wells closest to our community stop working every now and then because they are overused. The only solution would be to buy water, but it takes money to do that. The situation is critical in every aspect.
Who can go to school?
The disastrous situation of Kenyan families means that more and more students are dropping out of school because their parents cannot afford to pay school fees. At our school, thanks to the support of many people, children are still able to continue their education. However, while up until now, in addition to donors, the children’s education has also been supported by some Masai families, the number of families who are able to finance their child’s school fees is now drastically decreasing. At a time of such unimaginable increases in the price of foodstuffs, the Masai are unable to feed their children and so more and more students are eating their only meal of the day only at school. As a result, the demand for food for schoolchildren has increased tremendously, hence our big, passionate appeal for financial support. Let’s do everything we can to ensure that every pupil leaves school with a full tummy. See our project Entapa.
What when the school year is over?
Very soon, at the end of November, the school year will end. This means that families who already have a huge problem feeding their children, providing them with a meal for breakfast and dinner, will face an even greater challenge to provide food for their child for almost two months (until the beginning of the next school year). The situation is dramatic, as many families are already going hungry. In December, the number of such families is bound to increase dramatically.
Pomóż, kryzys wodny zagraża życiu i zdrowiu
But there is something that you can do.
Support with us the families whose situation is already critical. They are already going to bed hungry, with no hope of a better next day.
125pln will help a family of 10 to feed themselves for a week.
We will transfer your support to our school account in Kenya. Phillipah’s school principal will purchase food and necessities and distribute them to the families.
Every person in the world deserves support during a natural disaster. Support now so that families receive food and basic necessities.
A packet for a family includes products such as : wheat flour, rice, beans, oil, sugar, washing powder, soap and something sweet for the children – local mandazi doughnuts.
500zł
It will supply a family of 10 with food for a whole month.
300 zł
It will supply a family of six with food and necessities such as soap and washing powder for a whole month.
125zł
It will allow a family of 10 to donate food products for a week. It will give her breath and hope,
Pomóż, kryzys wodny zagraża życiu i zdrowiu
The I Can Learn Foundation is a non-profit public benefit organisation. Together with the Masai community in southern Kenya, we have been running a primary school with a kindergarten since 2012. More than 250 children attend every day. We build classrooms, dining halls, dormitories and more. Above all, however, we support pupils who are given the chance to receive an education.
The I Can Learn Foundation will pass on almost 95% of your donation to the families. The remaining approximately 5% represents the costs of running the Foundation and electronic payment services. You can read our financial statements on our page.
It is the regular contributions that help us respond at critical moments. They are the ones that give us the chance for a better tomorrow through long-term support. We will definitely run the open larder project until the end of next year with the possibility of extension. We want not only to respond in a crisis, but also to give people the chance to improve their situation by, for example, supporting them in finding a job.
Sources for this blog post come from the following articles and publications:
- reliefweb.int – Kajiado County: Drought Early Warning Bulletin for September 2022
- dailymail.co.uk – Kenya’s plains of the dead
- the-star.co.ke – Drought forces pastoralists to change diet, eat githeri for survival
- savethechildren.org – CLIMATE CRISIS:HUNGER IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
- foxnews.com – Northern Kenya faces hunger crisis amid worst drought in 40 years
- news.un.org – Kenya: UN steps up protection for drought-hit women and girls
- reuters.com – Drought forces Kenya’s Maasai to sell starving cattle for a pittance
- kenyanews.go.ke – Drought Continue To Hit Kajiado, Affecting Learners