Kenya

Help for the victims of hunger in the Horn of Africa

Over 12 million people face an exceptional food shortage in the Horn of Africa. There are more than two million children, the most severely affected by this crisis, who desperately need food aid. In view of this situation, 11,204 personnes benefitted from the activities of Terre des hommes in 2011.

Context

Following one of the worst droughts in the past 60 years, the harvest was halved, pasture land has dried out and cattle are dying. The people have no income any more, and the prices of basic foodstuffs and raw materials are soaring. In Somalia, the situation is aggravated by the continuing conflict. Hundreds of thousands of Somalians have already fled to the east of Kenya, and 440,000 of them are currently living in four refugee camps in the Dadaab district.

As to the Kenyan population, it has been hard hit by the massive influx of Somalian refugees into areas that were already in a precarious condition. In the arid regions of the country, the Kenyans are also suffering from the food crisis – but have not yet received any support equivalent to that offered to the refugees. In the entire province where the Dadaab camps are located, the level of malnutrition was already high before the crisis started and today must be close to that of the Somalian refugees, or even worse. The local population, suffering under a desperate lack of health infrastructure, find it difficult to get access to the medical structures installed in the camps, which are often too far away from their own homes, as well. Between 17% and 20% of the children under 10 and the women suffer from acute severe malnutrition.

Our intervention

Healthcare and nutrition – Faced with the drought and famine, Terre des hommes intends to improve the health and nutrition of 8,000 children under six, and 350 expectant or nursing mothers. In view of the disastrous situation and the high number of humanitarian helpers already present in the camps, Terre des hommes is concentrating its activities on the villages in the district where the Dadaab camps have been set up – communities hit by the famine, who do not benefit from the health and humanitarian aid given to the refugees.

Developed in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development , this intervention aims to prevent as well as to treat acute severe and moderate malnutrition. The intervention will take place over a period of at least 12 months. It is also supported by Swiss Solidarity.

The children or expectant mothers showing signs of malnutrition are identified in the villages by health assistants and treated in out-patient programmes. Terre des hommes supports the Kenyan Ministry of Health in running these local health centres. If there are complications, the women and children are cared for in the centres for nutritional stabilisation run by international organisations inside the Dadaab camps.

Child protection in refugee camps – Moreover, Terre des hommes intends to increase the protection of the children living in the refugee camps. Girls and boys are exposed to risks of violence worsened by the food crisis and the promiscuity rife in the camps. A number of the youngsters, having arrived alone or with only one of their parents, require greater protection.

Support our action against hunger in Kenya!

• 39.658227 -0.454984

  Garissa district

• 40.314274 0.059052

  Dadaab camps