Kenya

In Kenya, post-election violence has created a humanitarian disaster. In this camp, there are more than 6000 people, and 4,000 of them are children. With almost no agricultural activity going on, the country is facing a severe food shortage.

As in other Horn of Africa countries, the availability of food for Kenya’s poor has been worsened by bad weather conditions and recurring drought. However, the recent post-election violence, which saw the displacement of farmers, intensified the lack of food because it disrupted traditional crop planting cycles.

Crisis Facts:

• Kenya still has around 66,000 internally displaced people in camps as a result of the post-election displacement
• Kenyan inflation has increased 31% and there has been a 100% rise in food prices since the beginning of 2008
• Over four million Kenyans have been affected by the drought, and 1.3 million are in need of emergency aid. The area of northern Kenya has been worst hit, with 70% of the population affected by rising food prices
• In Turkana (northern Kenya), 28% of children are suffering from acute malnutrition, the highest in the country.

World Vision in Kenya

14 November 2008 Stuart Thompson gives an update on the impact of the Global Food Crisis on Kenya and World Vision's programming (1:51)

Through World Vision, Australians are supporting food security programs, particularly in the northern part of Kenya. World Vision is working in partnership with the UN World Food Programme to distribute food and run supplementary feeding programs to assist 320,000 people affected by drought.

Rising food and fuel prices have impacted several of our child sponsorship programs. Letters have been sent to sponsors informing them of the situation in the area where their sponsored child lives. Affected children and families within our sponsorship programs are among those receiving aid. Please be assured that if we receive specific information concerning the wellbeing of individual sponsored children we will contact their sponsor as a matter of urgency.