Drought in Kenya
7 Nov 2011
We’re helping communities in Kenya to respond to their worst drought in 60 years.
According to the United Nations, 3.75m people in the Horn of Africa will still be in need of food aid between now and February 2012. Over 1.2m of these people live in the areas where we work in Kenya. In response to the crisis, Concern Universal has secured a grant from UNICEF for £80,000 to support an emergency intervention focusing on Water, Hygiene and Sanitation in Wajir South, bringing clean water to thousands of people.
This emergency relief is taking place alongside our long-term support, working with local partners and communities to improve people's livelihoods and reduce their vulnerability to drought. We have already supported over 5,000 people who lost livelihoods in earlier droughts, using a long-term development approach to build their resilience. Many have clean water and a reliable food supply today as a result of our work in previous years.
With Concern Universal's support, thousands of people in Garissa, who lost their livestock in the 2004 drought are now farming crops on 750 acres along River Tana. Not being reliant on livestock, (which cannot survive prolonged drought), has transformed the lives of community members by improving their food security and increasing household income.
